Black creatives that inspire us
Design has a diversity problem. Our national, published research shows that many people working in the design economy do not sufficiently represent the people they are designing for. This means that — at best — the design of particular places, policies, processes and products often overlook many people’s needs and aspirations, and — at worst — reflect and reinforce the privilege of those who design them, excluding others from shaping their worlds in the same way.
This must change. And it must change now. As a leading voice in design, we at Design Council have a clear role to play in making that happen (and we’ve set that out in a statement here).
To mark Black History Month coming to a close, the Design Council team have put together a list of events, podcasts and stories from Black creatives that we have read, seen or listened to during the October that have inspired us. And as this is not just about one month, we’ve also included a link to the programme of events we’re hosting starting next month to continue these conversations.
LEADING WOMEN IN DESIGN
Written by Sarah Weir
In 2018, when I arrived, I commissioned a series of interviews with leading women in design to mark the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918. And we featured two black female creatives Elsie Owusu — Founding Chair of the Society of Black Architects and Jo Arscott — Britain’s first black female Creative Director.
Elsie is a specialist conservation architect, interior and urban designer, and founder of her own architectural practice. Watch Elsie share her childhood story of migrating to the UK from Ghana and the challenges she’s faced as a black female architect.
“The image of the architect has to change, because it’s a 19th-century image in a 21st-century culture.” Elsie Owusu
Jo is a Global Creative Consultant and has worked with and represented billion-dollar brands such as Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble across the UK, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Check out our interview with Jo and read about how she flourished in a male-dominated industry and became Britain’s first black female Creative Director in 1990 when she was just 28.
CREATIVES
Yinka Ilori / Colour Palace / Dulwich Picture Gallery
Written by Subu Ojuola
I discovered Yinka Ilori in 2015 when I worked in Lagos Nigeria for a design magazine. Yinka specialises in storytelling by fusing his British and Nigerian heritage to tell new stories in contemporary design. Pricegore and Yinka Ilori’s ‘Colour Palace’ is intended as a celebration of colour, pattern and light, and draws upon both European and African cultural traditions in creating a design that could be relevant to, and representative of, multicultural London. Find out more
Tavares Strachan / In Plain Sight
Written by Cat Drew
Tavares Strachan is a Bahamian artist interested in science, exploration and space travel. His first solo show In Plain Sight was at the Marian Goodman Gallery during Sep/Oct 2020 and includes his works The Encyclopedia of Invisibility and Distant Relatives which give due prominence to important Black historical figures that have been omitted from history, such as Matthew Henson (the first person to reach the North Pole), Henrietta Lacks (whose ‘HeLa’ cervical cells have transformed medical research) and Andrea Motley Crabtree (the first woman to pass the US’ Navy’s deep sea diving qualification). His work is inspiring because it is drawing out from history stories, experiences and achievements that have been instrumental in shaping our world but have been overlooked or left out.
Hugh Hayden / Among the Trees
Written by Kirsty McMullan
Hugh Hayden is a Black artist from Texas, USA. His piece “Zelig” (pictured below) is part of the Hayward Gallery’s current exhibition Among the Trees. Among the Trees explores our complex relationship with trees and forests and their role in our lives and imaginations. Hayden’s “Zelig” takes its name from a film by Woody Allen, in which the comedian plays someone suffering from ‘chameleon disorder’, who unconsciously mirrors the traits and appearances of those around him. His piece stood out as a thoughtful response to the exhibition brief because at first glance it doesn’t look like much more than two logs, but taking a closer look you realise that one is furnished not with bark, but delicate grouse feathers. This discusses the skin as an organ of identification — drawing stark parallels with how we sometimes make assumptions about people based on appearances before getting closer. Hayden says, ‘I like the idea that I can use something as ubiquitous as a tree to change the way that people think.’
Tobi Kyere / The Voice
This article, by Tobi Kyere in the Voice, highlights a number of Black organisations, architects and activists who are creating spaces for the Black community, including Akil Scafe Smith from Resolve collective, whose work is inspiring because through the creation of spaces and the creative activities that are hosted within them, his work catalysts creativity in others.
Photographer John Ferguson / Black Britannia
Award-winning photographer John Ferguson (Fleet Street’s first Black Staff photographer in the 1990s) has put together a beautifully shot collection of portraits to honour the achievements of Britain’s Black community across the generations. Each portrait represents an individual that has made a unique and important contribution to British life. The book also attempts to address the stereotypical assumption that Black people cannot succeed at the top level of British society.
PODCAST
S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Podcast / Mental health
Check out S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys, a podcast that explores a public health approach to improving the mental health of Black boys while challenging the negative stereotypes associated with their demographic.
BEYOND OCTOBER
At Design Council, we believe that Black History Month is every month therefore we will keep on amplifying the voices of Black creatives beyond October. Here are our plans for the next few months on combatting racial inequality through the policies, practice and culture of Design Council.
Series of conversations with Black creatives
One of the things we’re doing is producing with Black creatives a series of conversation events exploring how structural systems and biases are creating inequalities and how design can disrupt these and reshape a fairer world.
To kick off the series Kenneth Bailey and Greg Bunbury will be discussing how design can disrupt racist ideas and beliefs and bring in different voices to create narratives that reshape our worlds. Find out more.
RESOURCES
Here’s a database of Black creatives across graphic design, arts, music, photography which has been put together by Indiana Lawrence, highlighted by Design Can on their resources page.
The Black Cultural Archives is the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain.
The Guardian has published a timeline of two millennia of world-shaping individuals and significant events that have defined Black history.
