PORTFOLIO ANGELA W CAURI | Architecture + Visual Art + Digital Art
ANGELA W. CAURI Part 1 Architecture Graduate | Creative
Education 2015 - 2019
Professional Work Experience The University of Edinburgh , Scotland, UK Master of Arts with Honours in Architecture - 2:2
2018 Present
Dissertation: “Lost in translation: Deciphering the 21st C. crisis of the African built environment” 2013 - 2015
Leadership: Basketball U19 team captain (2011-2015) 2011 - 2013
•I have had the opportunity to be commissioned on various creative projects in the recent past, and this inspired me to become a freelancer as I expand my networks and build a brand for myself. • I am also a full-time member of the creative team for New Era Soul Productions, a music production company based in Vancouver, Canada and Nairobi, Kenya. • Portolio of all freelance and academic work included on website.
The Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi, Kenya International Baccalaureatte (IB) - 34 Points Higher Level Subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Visual Art Standard Level Subjects: Psychology, Literature, Swahili
04/2018 09/2018
Subjects: Additional Math, Chemistry, English, Geography, Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Swahili, Visual Art Leadership: Extra-curricular activities prefect, 2012 - 2013
ADDRESS : Nairobi, Kenya (Current) MOBILE : +(254) 721704531 EMAIL : angela.cauri@gmail.com LINKEDIN : https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-cauri-382a9618a/ PORTFOLIO WEBSITE : https://angelacauri.wixsite.com/portfolio DOB
22 November 1996
Languages
English , Swahili (Native fluency)
Referees Dr Miguel Paredes Maldonaldo | Academic Mentor Lecturer in Architectural Design, University of Edinburgh Miguel.Paredes@ed.ac.uk James Mitchel | Professional Mentor Co-founder and Team Leader, Orkidstudio - Kenya james@orkidstudio.com Carolina Larrazabal | Design Mentor Design Director, Orkidstudio - Kenya carolina@orkidstudio.org
Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop ArchiCAD AutoCAD (Certified) Autodesk Maya Autodesk Revit Rhinoceros Sketch-Up Unreal Engine 4 Website Design/Development Microsoft Office Suite
10/2018 06/2019
Professional Affiliations The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) - Part 1 of 3 accreditation. The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) - Alumni member. Edinburgh University Students Architecture Society (EUSAS) - Alumni member.
SAINSBURY’S SUPERMARKETS - Edinburgh, Scotland Online Assistant • This part-time but permanent role offered insight into the fast-paced working environment of the third-largest supermarket chain in the UK. • My role gained me practical experience in online market places and strategies, supply chain workings and distribution..
05/2017 09/2017
CENTRE FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY (CITECH) - Nairobi, Kenya Personal Assistant to college director + digital design consultant. • CiTech is a local college that offers engineering draughtmanship, BIM and CAD software certifications. • During my practice, I came up with a simple and practical system for the digitisation of company records such as employee data, student attendance and inventory sold using Microsoft Office Suite. • I also took the opportunity to share my acquired digtal design skills from my degree curriculum, to assist the students improve their skillset and improve their efficiency, while learning from them.
General Skills Graphic Design Visual Art/Design 3D Animation Layout Design Technical Drawing Digital Mapping Verbal Presentation Curating (Exhibition) Laser Cutting 3D Printing Research | Report Writing Creative Writing
BUILD-X STUDIO (Formerly Orkidstudio | Design-Build Firm) - Nairobi, Kenya Architectural Intern • I was engaged in the design and detailed design phases of two significant projects during my internship period. - A seminarian centre in Kaijiado, Kenya. - Sachibondu Hospital staff houses in remote Sachibondu district, Zambia. • I gathered practical experience both on and off the field; from insight into project management to procurement procedures, quantity surveying and engineering collaborations. • My contributions to these projects are included in the portfolio attached.
The Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi, Kenya IGCSE - 6A*, 2A , 1B
Programme Skills
FREELANCE DESIGNER - Remote / Nairobi, Kenya Architectural Design | Visual Art | Digital Art | Mural Art | Creative Direction
Volunteer Work Experience 09/2019 Present
UNBOXED AFRICA - Nairobi, Kenya Arts collective • I collaborate with a group of peers in an arts collective that is on a mission to contribute to social change through art. • We do art murals- pro bono and commissioned- to raise funds which we reinvest into quarterly art events and functions.
05/2018 Present
BERLIN SELF-HELP GROUP - Nairobi, Kenya Fundraising, Event Organising, Community Development • With a team sponsored by an NGO, I help in the mobilising of youth in a lowincome neighbourhood to take part in art exhibitions and fundraising through various means. • The funds contributed are re-invested into community development, beautification of low income neighbourhoods and youth projects/activities. • The efforts of the self-help group have proven to strategically improve the lives of most dwellers in the Kamukunji region of Eastleigh in Kenya.
Curriculum Vitae
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Table of contents
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ARCHITECTURE disSertation
ARCHITECTURal practice:
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS:
ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL:
working learning
“MA-D THOUGHT”
“IN PLACE”
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archi tect ure LIBRARY IN ROME: “ANY PLACE”
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DIGITAL + VISUAL arT STRANGELY FAMILIAR: “A HOUSE WITH A TWIST”
MATERIAL WORLD: “TIMBER TEA- HOUSE”
VISUAL ART
DIGITAL ART
PHOTOGRAPHY / creative direction
01 YEAR| 2019 PROJECT TITLE| Architecture Dissertation PROJECT TEAM| Individual
ARCHITECTURE disSertation DISSERTATION TOPIC “LOST IN TRANSLATION: DECIPHERING THE 21ST C. CRISIS OF THE AFRICAN BUILT ENVIRONMENT” SUPERVISOR Giorgio Ponzo [Teaching Fellow, Architectural Design and Pedagogy] Word Limit 10,000 words
The dissertation was my greatest opportuntiy to develop skills in critical scholarship and writing. This thesis subject was inspired by my growing interest in the probing of the role of architects in shaping society. It discusses the modern ironies observed in the built environment of developing African nations, highlighting the historical voids that were revealed through Western architectural influence in the constitution of the dominant architecture. The research process commenced in the pretext of reputable historical structures- including the Northern African pyramids and Mali’s Great Mosque of Djane- and discusses the tangent of potential that was expressed in these localised structural identities.
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Dissertation Publication Link on ISSUU: https://issuu.com/angela.cauri/docs/2018_dissertation___issuu__b087608_arja10002
01 YEAR| 2019 PROJECT TITLE| Architecture Dissertation PROJECT TEAM| Individual
ARCHITECTURE disSertation It then ponders upon the current “Africa is rising” narrative of the developing continent, and probes the discussion of whether all influence from western culture and structural knowledge that has been adapted is responsive to that demographic’s socieoconomic dynamics. The dissertation concludes in the advocation for a new form of African architecture, that is of and appropriate to the context it serves, and offers case studies of individuals plus firms who can be considered the harbingers of this form of localised architecture.
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Dissertation Publication Link on ISSUU: https://issuu.com/angela.cauri/docs/2018_dissertation___issuu__b087608_arja10002
02 YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Orkidstudio Design-Build Firm, Nairobi, Kenya.
The images capture the working environment and ethos of the firm where I undertook my work experience. I was familiriased with a more professional setting of idea sharing and sustainable yet humble construction means such as sandbag construction.
SUPERVISORS| James Mitchell, Carolina Larrazabal.
architectural practice : working learning “Women in construction� The final year of the MA (Hons.) Architecture course was preceded by a semeter-out working placement unit, which encouraged students to gather practical experience within their fieds of further interest. I applied for an internship at Orkidstudio design-build firm in Kenya, as part of their externship mentoring program. The environment fostered at this firm reflected one of an ethos that prioritises dignified design and the empowerment of local development and sustainability.
My dissertation research addressed the efforts of Orkidstudio from my first-hand experience of their mission as a firm. It proposed practical means of pursuing active social architecture from a local level.
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Image source: Orkidstudio.org
YEAR | 2018
PROJECT TEAM | Orkidstudio Design-Build Firm, Kenya. SUPERVISORS | James Mitchel, Carolina Larrazabal.
architectural practice : working learning
SACHIBONDU HOSPITAL STAFF HOUSES Location: Sachibondu, Zambia
Being a modestly sized design-build firm, everyone’s role is extremely crucial to the successful delivery of design and construction. Fortunately, my role was therefore recognised in the development of two major ongoing projects in Zambia and Kenya. I developed digital skills in autocad to independently complete the design and detailed design phases of both projects, and skills in Rhinoceros modelling to design a unique staggered wall that doubled as a louvre system to the structure of staff houses.
Photo credit: Jaime Velasco, Senior Designer , Orkidstudio. Captured during site visit in Zambia.
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This project was worked on remotely from Kenya and the client was the local government of Zambia. I was involved in the detailed design phase, and was exposed to the many logistics involved in public works and constructons in remote regions that are geographically and economically handicapped.
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YARUMAL SEMINARY HOUSES Location: Kajiado, Kenya
I was additionally exposed to the logistical involvments of projects- from site visits and quantity surveying, to correspondence with engineers, contractors and clients. Team-building retreats, daily development meetings and out-ofoffice colleague gatherings instilled in me qualities of combined efforts and unified growth. I became aware of the impact of architecture in marginalised and underdeveloped communities, and how research, sharing knowledge along with teaching of transferrable skills is critical to the social role of architecture across the these communities. Such experiences influenced my dissertation reaserch subject. It was rewarding to witness these two projects to their completion, even while away at school during the final construction stages.
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What made this project speial was its design-build approach that prioritiesed decent structure within a limited budget from a charitable orgnisation. I was responsible for designing the staggered wall captured in the images, along with the perforation and the unique roof construction made of steel, bitumen and plasterboard.
03 YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Yanny Lang, Helena Tamago, Angela Cauri. HARDWARE | Lasercutting, Hand-Modelling SOFTWARE | Rhinoceros, Autodesk MAYA, Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Photoshop
architectural design explorations “MA- D THOUGHT” Location: Virtual | Xinhee, China.
It addresses two paradigms: On one hand, there is the view of architecture and other forms of spatial design forming backdrop to narrative. On another, there is a view of the narrative power of space; a situation where space opens itself up to varying forms of representation. MAD is deployed in reference to the practice of Yansong Ma, his perspective on expressive form, and to madness itself as a Deleuzian category. Its aim is to encourage a multidimensional form (multiform) of thinking in architectural representation, which is already commonplace in narrative.
“There is a method to the madness...”
This project set out to explore architectural potential within digital narrative form- particularly immersive environments, gaming and virtual + augmented reality.
08 | Rhinoceros 3D software model development of the final concept. It borrows features from an abattoir and translates them into architectural structural components.
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The narrative exercise commenced with reading and screening sessions, and working in groups to rebuild and analyse a project from MAD. My group settled on the Xinhee Design Centre. The expectation was that the building will first be drawn and modelled, and then reinterpreted and remodelled by rebuilding, analysing, cutting-up, stitching and corrupting the project. This will then be represented in the form of an installation. This in effect become the prototypical scaffold for the design exploration.
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architectural explorations “MA- D THOUGHT” Location: Virtual | Xinhee, China.
The narrative exercise commenced with reading and screening sessions, and working in groups to rebuild and analyse a project from MAD. My group settled on the Xinhee Design Centre. The expectation was that the building will first be drawn and modelled, and then reinterpreted and remodelled by rebuilding, analysing, cutting-up, stitching and corrupting the project. This will then be re-presented in the form of an installation. This in effect become the prototypical scaffold for the design exploration. The work of Yansong Ma provided a platform for speculative design as he tackles expressive architectural form. Our literary examples were Daniel Libeskind and C J Lim, and included MVRDV’s Pig City (https:// www.mvrdv.nl/projects/134/pig-city) with The Silence of the Lambs film, as responses to social and ethical issues. The image alongside is a digital render that is expressive of a virtual environment conceived from these examples in later stages of development.
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architectural explorations “MA- D THOUGHT” Location: Virtual | Xinhee, China.
The technical strategy was guided by the architectural conditions of “scaffold + multifold”, and these aspects were expressed in the final installation as the physical and virtual realms respectively. Architectural drawing conventions (plans, sections and elevations) are useful in building construction, and perspectives are useful in communicating complex or abstract design concepts. However, the route to virtual environments does not require the same conventions, but relies on sketches, collages, recordings etc. and this is captured in the development.
Hand-drawn and digital render of a developmental section inspired by CJ Lim’s ‘The Nocturnal Tower’
10 | Autodesk MAYA 3D deconstruction of Xinhee Design Centre Section in scaffolding.
CJ Lim Studio, The Nocturnal Tower.
Autodesk MAYA 3D manipulation of developed model in C J Lim inspired installation style.
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architectural explorations “MA- D THOUGHT� I single-handedly was responsible for the development of the red digital skins in our structural model, but group roles were configured in a manner that enabled us to optimise the exploration of numerous softwares for organic design and settle on those that accommodated our design brief the most. The use of the Grasshopper coding software and virtual rendering Unreal Engine 4 was introduced through collaborative classes with 3D Media and design students, as they were necessary for the complete delivery of the brief. The rest of the work was divided equally amongst group members- from conception to assembly and presentation- resuting in combined efforts of equal measure.
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Camera angles
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architectural explorations “MA- D THOUGHT�
It was expected that the projects in the unit would take precedence from Set Design, Installation Design, and Environment/Level Design in Video Games, but with focus more on building the environment than on resolving the physics and animation algorithms. The storyboard alongside was put together using Adobe Illustrator and captures the environment and the scenes in the adjacent film which was part of the final installation.
STORYBOARD
Our interest was in immersive environments and the expression of form in narrative. These include organic, expressive or parametric form in architecture, along with literary and cinematic form.
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The abbatoir without any assets or objects.
The abbatoir with assets and objects.
Detailing in Unreal Engine was the most important part as it defines the elements that were not possible to define in the physical manifestation of the narrative. It consists of lighting, texture mapping, animation and sequencing.
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The final digital project was built using Rhino (with T-Splines plugin), and Autodesk Maya 2018, while the physical rendition involved a steelframe construction, lasercutting assembly and large-format highquality printing of carcass forms. The designs were organically manipulated on the 3D software, then trasferred to autocad for MDF lasercutting and waffle slab assembly as illustrated diagramatically.
architectural explorations “MA- D THOUGHT” Over the past decade, speculation in architecture has developed beyond criticism, social engagement and ecological ethics towards a more critical immediacy, thanks in part to social media and mobile apps, computation and video games, and to advances in film and animation. It is also no longer remarkable that much of the tools deployed in architectural speculation have been software developed for entertainment creation. Immersion is the ‘being in’ of space-time, not the ‘looking at’ of the static image. Our engagement with narrative was therefore not exclusive to literature but included film, video games and animation; forms which express non-linear thinking to engage our own criticality.
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04 YEAR | 2017 PROJECT TEAM | Santong Li, Kelly Lai, Vanessa Chai, Angela Cauri SOFTWARE | AutoCAD, Photoshop, Rhinoceros. HARDWARE | Laser-cutting, Hand modelling.
ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL ‘IN PLACE’
Location: Princes Street Gradens, Edinburgh, Scotland
Architecture conceptually is an intriguing enquiry of the mind. How to produce a building from one’s own ability is a hard task, essentially a creative act and it brings with it huge rewards. This studio project began our search for what is architecture and how we relate to that search. The main task of the brief was the design of an architecture school in Edinburgh. The sites chosen neither required complete submersion of the proposed building in its environment nor suggested complete autonomy of the singular building. Instead, they called for some level of negotiation, which enabled a certain freedom for the design yet required some level of accommodating the local.
The project was particularly interested in developing skills in: - the laying out of a building circulation - access systems - communal vs public spaces - considerations of function - spatial organisation The designs are expected to suggest spatial qualities and functional rigour, to consider inhabitation as a social act and to account for the building’s relation to its locus.
14 | Hand-drawn sketch of the building concept from the North Elevation. The floor plan consisted of continuous gradual contours that were negotiated and aligned with the sloping site, and doubled as a terraced functional space, and the front facade was entirely glazed..
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The Lower Ground Level plan occupied a minimal surface area in comparisson to the levels above, by virtue of the sloping landscape which guided the design dynamics. It consists of two mirrored quadrant lecture halls, an open-plan gathering space that doubles as the foundation for the organically shaped columns supporting the elevated studio spaces, and staff offices (left - right). Lower Ground Level
ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL ‘IN PLACE’
Contoured terraced steps that serve as circulation and fucntional gathering space. The contours were guided by existing contour lines within the site.
Location: Princes Street Gradens, Edinburgh, Scotland
In Place developed my skills in design inquiry.
General Floor Plan
The studio began with the research and development of an attitude to what architecture is, while addressing architectural and urban issues that impact on design decisions The project theme was founded upon Kant’s Architectonics as the primary motive behind architecture, while place and identity followed. These themes collectively inform an architectural design. The thematic scope of the module served as a context to introduce critical and self-reflexive dimensions of design, and the development of skills in design inquiry.
The roof plan offers top level access with contoured circulation steps that extend from within and connect all levels externally. Roof Plan
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ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL ‘IN PLACE’ Location: Princes Street Gradens, Edinburgh, Scotland
This project encouraged me to build confidence in the Why, the How and the What of Architecture. It allowed for autonomous architectural expression in spatial form - the three-dimensional realisation of an idea by mass or by space construction. I also developed skills in critical scholarship and writing, while exploring different dimensions of the design process, including team working in the design of a modest building.
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The laser-cut model presented captures the final stages of our design development. The fully-glazed north facing elevation allows for constant advantage of soft light and maximises on panoramic views into the princes street gardens from the open-plan building.
The building design allows for regulated continual movement of people from road level (top floor) to park level (ground floor) and interactions of users with the building fabric. It thus becomes a fragment of its surroundings, imprinted into and opening up to its site.
05 YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Individual SOFTWARE | AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Photoshop. HARDWARE | Hand modelling.
An academic site visit to Rome aided in considering urban and cultural conditions that extend beyond the local. The sketches alongside capture the atmosphere of the site with an outdoor market before my intervention, then the atmosphere anticipated for the interior of the public library. The design accommodated the existing activities of the outdoor space and expanded downwards to avoid overwhelming the site.
Location: Piazza di San Cosimato, Rome, Italy
Location, context, and architectonics were key themes throughout this project, aiming to develop an understanding of what designing for a city, a place, a society is like rather than a site. Although site was important, idea was prime. The location given was Rome, and being a palimpset, this meant that researching what the city meant for the people was a crucial task. Engaging with the culture and geography of a historically significant city developed a broader sense of context and culture. I was probed to consider urban and cultural conditions that extend beyond the local, while taking measure of- and making designs that respond to- the human condition; sometimes with urbanity, sometimes without.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ATMOSPHEREs
LIBRARY IN ROME ‘ANY PLACE’
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Site Plan @ 1:500
This lead to the design of a place that connects the locals of Piazza di San Cosimato through activities such as learning, playing, shopping, and even meditating. The form of the building was guided by the nature of the triangular site, but this form followed the function of the public space and its interactions with the existing harmony of the site.
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LIBRARY IN ROME ‘ANY PLACE’
Location: Piazza di San Cosimato, Rome, Italy
The building expanded downwards into basement level to allow the existing ground level space to maintain its open-air ambience and its social integrity- while offering the necessary weather elements and climate control qualities associated with the library materials within. A network is created where these activities take place at the same time at different levels connected by voids. They lead one through time to a certain activity, while encouraging gestural connections with materials, nature, books and the Piazza itselfat ground (rooftop) level.
Drawings at 1:100 Scale
18 | This library design explores the reception and sharing of knoweldge beyond the realm of literature and technology, by offering spaces invested in environmental conditions that encourage learning and biological harmony. This atmosphere is captured in the sketches akongside.
Every new building responds to the established patterns of movement that define it, but also intervenes in those patterns, interrupting them and establishing new connections and dislocations. The creation of buildings or cities reflects the contemporary period as it is. Designing a building or creating a space directly demonstrates new values, our ways of living or thinking.
06 “ Rooms form the basis of a house; they are the empty stage for human action. Different from these are the machines in a house, which have a specific purpose. Different from these are the dreams that the house embodies, and which make it a special place to be.” ‘The Place of Houses’ Charles Moore, Gerald Allen
STRANGELY FAMILIAR A house with a twist Location: Pilrig Street, Edinburgh, Scotland
We have all experienced a ‘house’ as a ‘home’, but may not have considered the everyday rituals that take place within the built fabric of that house or how the spaces support, hinder or influence the way in which people live. The emphasis of this project was on the ‘assembly’ of space; the boundaries/thresholds- real or implied- between spaces, the relationship of spaces in section, movement between spaces, and the relationship of inside spaces to outside spaces. The brief called for the incorporation of public spaces within a house, introducing thresholds between a realm, which is essentially private and spaces where visitors may come for a service or to buy an artefact. The house then becomes a hybrid of living and working.
Private Entrance West Elevation
19 | “You are to design a house for a small family with one person who works from home. The house should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the growing family, but is relatively modest in size.�
Park View East Elevation
Aerial View Roof Plan
The public spaces were accomodated at street level and assembled with more light-wegiht materials- glass, timber and steel - so as to add a sense of nonpermanence. The private realm, however, was contrastingly placed at the back, with more permanence in concrete and on multiple levels to accommodate views.
Private Entrance North Elevation
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MATERIAL WORLD Location: Pilrig Street, Edinburgh, Scotland
First year architectural design examined ways in which architecture is indebted to its own means of construction. It introduced me to a tectonic vocabulary and a range of materials and building systems. This particular project was aimed at raising awareness of principles of assembly, materiality, specific constructional and environmental logics and how they inform the design of architecture. The brief probed the consideration of the pleasure of sharing food and drink, and the ritual of preparing tea/coffee in Asian cultures. The teahouse is operated by a single host who prepares the tea and brings the order to the table. The preparation should be in full view of the customers.
The project was a design for a small teahouse set in an extraordinarily beautiful location. The site is surrounded by trees, beside a river, and with distant views to a waterfall beyond. The views are best from over 3m above adjacent to ground level.
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It can seat 6 people at one time at the table, but informal places to sit and drink were created in addition to the table. Views from inside to outside were very important to the success of the place.
This project called for the capacity to manipulate architectural form in the consideration of interior and exterior space within simple programmes. I was able to improve my skills in the representation of simple architectural designs, including the design process, in the portfolio and presentation formats.
VISUALART.
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I double in visual art as a means to reconcile my social views on life based on my experiences, exposure and understanding. It offers me an outlet of political and moral expression and is influenced by my architectural input through its connections to time and place.
08 YEAR | 2019 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission Medium | Acrylic on canvas Size | 65 x 95 cm
“THREE ELEMENTS”
FIRE
EARTH
WATER
These three paintings are the first of an afrocentric series, inspired by the works of Torontobased Artist Sara Golish. Individually, they explore themes of nature, culture, colour theory and abstraction. Together, they propose duality and balance.
THREE ELEMENTS
22 | YEAR | 2019 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
tWO FRIENDS ARE BETTER THAN NONE
Medium | Acrylic on canvas Size | 60 x 90 cm
“two friends are better than none” This was 1 of 2 paintings commissioned by a client for a new apartment interior. It was my first stencil experimentation from a photo reference given by the client. The inspiration for the graphics was drawn from USAbased graffiti artist- Slew, as I was given creative control over the conceptualisation from the reference.
Medium | Acrylic on canvas Size | 48.5 x 106 cm
“save yourself first” This was my second stencil experimentation from a photo reference given by a client. The inspiration for the graphics was drawn from the graffiti artist Slew, an artist who inspires my work. The title of the piece speaks on a natural rule of survival, adding emphasis to the multiple renditions of the subject, appearing to look over the previous version of himself.
SAVE YOURSELF FIRST
YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
Medium | Oil on Canvas, Kente Cloth Size | 100 x 80 cm
“SEE NO EVIL - HEAR NO EVIL - SPEAK NO EVIL� Interpretative piece on the ancient Japanese proverbial Mystic Apes - popularised in the 17th c. as a pictorial Shinto Maxim. The process involved photoshop renders of the original portrait photograph captured above; then a physical manifestation of the digital edit, on canvas, with a 3-dimensional fabric detail for a sense of realism.
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PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
JAMES DEAN
JAMES DEAN
YEAR | 2017
Replication of a photograph of infamous American classical film legend- James Dean [19311955] remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement. The project was my first attempt at both monochromatic and large-scale watercolour painting techniques in exploration of realism and portraiture.
This was a first attempt at realsim in charcoal and acrylics for colour expression and contrast.
NELSON MANDELA Replication of a photograph of South African freedom fighter - Nelson Mandela [1918-2013] from public photographic archives. The project was my first attempt at palette painting in oils, without the use of paint-brushes.
Size | A1
An abstraction of a foster child captured during a personal photography project (Page 34) in Kenya, addressing social attitudes towards poverty.
Medium | Watercolour on watercolour paper
“CHILDREN, WAKE UP�
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“CHILDREN, WAKE UP”
NELSON MANDELA
Medium | Acrylic on Canvas
Medium | Oil on Canvas
Size | 60 x 120 cm
Size | 60 x 90 cm
PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
“THE AMERICAN delusion” This piece was part of a small exhibition project. It addresses the fallacies of “The American Dream”a national ethos of the United States in which, ideally, freedom includes an upward social mobility in addition to the opportunity for prosperity and success, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.
THE AMERICAN DELUSION
YEAR | 2017
It otherwise proposes the reality of a man-eat-man society in the climbing of social ladders.
YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
“thE state of a nation” This piece was part of a series commissioned by a peer whose acquiaintance I made based on mutual interests into African political history and cultural heritage. It captures 4 leaders in their element, at their prime; Samora Moises Machel (Mozambique), Thomas Isidore Sankara (Burkina Fasso), Muammar Al Gaddafi (Libya) and Patrice Emery Lumumba (Congo), respectively.
Medium | Acrylic on Ugandan Bark Cloth Size | 30 x 80 cm
STATE OF A NATION
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Medium | Oil on Canvas Roll Size | 30 x 100 cm
YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
MELANIN
“MELANIN” This piece was requested by a client as an addition to their new house interior. The theme probed was of a cultured woman, and the colour palette was selected to match their chosen aesthetics while remaining neutral.
YEAR | 2014 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Uncommissioned
The #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign transfixed people around the world concerned about the plight of these girls amidst the deception revealed through the media and local government. More than four years later, the spotlight shone back on their plight and that of thousands of women like them, in the HBO documentary Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram. This piece was done in response to all this, and to promote the re-awareness of such social tragedies to the audience within my reach.
Size | A1
On the night of 14 April 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from a Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, an extremist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria.
Medium | Acrylic on Pearlescent Shimmer Paper
“#BRING BACK OUR GIRLS”
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Medium | Acrylic on Pearlescent Shimmer Paper
# BRING BACK OUR GIRLS 26 |
RETROSPECTION
YEAR | 2017 PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
“retrospection” The technical aspect of this piece was guided by the experimental use of acrylics in watercolour form. This was strikingly different from what I was used to and thus equally as challenging. The title of the piece depicts the subject’s description by portraying a reflection on the skyline of the city that raised me - Nairobi- within a poetic backdrop.
“introspection” This piece was a live drawing sketch illustration done during one of many visits with friends to a children’s home in Kawangware slum, Kenya, where we carried out a series of community service projects. The title of the piece depicts the subject’s description.
“orchestrated” This piece was an abstract replication of a cover album by the classical Budapest music ensemble - The Hungarian Quartet - after discovering them by virtue of exploration interests. I find it enlightening to explore diverse temporal works that are beyond my comfort zone and culture.
Medium | Acrylic on Canvas Size | 60 x 60 cm
INTROSPECTION
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ORCHESTRATED
Medium | Watercolour on watercolour paper
Medium | Ink on transluscent sheet
Size | A1
Size | A2
Pixelation technique inspired by artist Chuck Close.
A “SMOKING KILLS� CAMPAIGN This personal project was done for an exhibition at a youth mobility organisation - Berlin Self-help group- that I have been engaging with since 2016. The organisation aims to encourage selfdevelopment amongst the youth amidst rising cases of school drop-outs due to lack of funds and local instability in Kenya. I was presented with an opportunity to offer my contribution to a meaningful cause that I hold personal to me, while adding to my developmental portfolio.
Both paintings call for social awareness on the conscious balance of social and formal life, after Nairobi was once ranked as the city that invests the most in entertainment and nightlife within the continent of Africa; an infamous revelation.
Medium | Acrylic on Canvas Size | 80 x 80 cm
YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
NAIROBI HALF- LIFE
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FROM ASH TO ASH YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
Medium | Acrylic on Canvas Size | 60 X 90 cm
YEAR | 2017 PROJECT TEAM | Indivdual // Uncommissioned
Medium | Oil on Canvas, Kente Cloth Size | 100 x 80 cm
“primary emotions” This series consists of explorations of various facetes of abstract portraiture and acrylic experimentation, inviting the viewer’s own interpretation. Each of the pieces is guided by compositions of vibrant primary colours, which juxtapose the nonchalant emotions expressed by the subjects.
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YEAR | 2019 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
MEDIUM | Acrylic on Canvas SIZE | 60 x 90 cm
“BLACK SKIN, WHITE MASKS” This was 1 of 2 paintings commissioned by a client. I was given full autonomy over the brief. Inspired by the narrative of Frantz Fanon’s writing, this painting speaks on the decolonisation of the mind. It forges upon Artist Takashi Murakami’s animated design aesthetic and one of his most renown masterpieces Split (2012) to emulate the irony in the subject title.
“BLACK SKIN WHITE MASKS “
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FACE ME
“FACE ME / THE STEREOTYPES”
THE STEREOTYPES
YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
This commission was carried out in two segments. The first was an acrylic painting that was framed, while the second involved a digital rendition of the same for a branded print. The image was inspired by traditional masks as an obscurement of facial expression/exposure. The painting explores various textured techniques along with interplay of positive and negative space.
MEDIUM | Acrylic on framed canvas sheet + Digital prints SIZE | A3
DIGITAL ART.
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Digital Art is a means to reconcile the virtual and software skills gathered through my Architectural discourse. It challenges the conventional concepts of the visual arts projects I have been used to and adds an extra dimension to the projects.
09 YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Visual Identity
“flower bomb” This digital visualisation was a personal take on my own visual identity. It is the motif for my personal brand as it possess elements native to my own identity, such as a historic visual of my home city -Nairobi, a passport photograph and the feminine aesthetic of flowers. The design and subject was inspired by one of my favorite rythm and blues songs, Lotus Flower Bomb.
YEAR | 2016 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission
“BOB’S LEGACY” This visual was done in collaboration with Kenyan Music duo - The Afrolution - for their album Bob’s Legacy. The brief was guided by the client and involved the rendering of the photographic images of father and son- captured decades apart, hence, strikingly contrasting in quality, but revealed a succesful resolution.
flower bomb
BOB’S LEGACY
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YEAR | 2019 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission LOCATION | Nanyuki, Kenya.
website design Learning how to use new applications and softwares is something I am really passionate about.These are examples of website designs that I have come up with for both personal and formal reasons.
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10 creative direction YEAR | 2018 PROJECT TEAM | Individual // Commission LOCATION | Nanyuki, Kenya.
“THE BLUES” + “BITTER-SWEET” These series of images were creatively directed, captured and edited for a friend who is an upcoming music artist. His intention was to use them for branding visuals, and aimed to capture a retro ambience in an outdoor and very natural setting.
THE BLUES
BITTER-SWEET
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CURATED BY // ANGELA W CAURI *Any work produced by or in conjunction with others will be labelled as such; otherwise, assume all work is my own.