Shawn Adams is a man of many hats and talents. His graduation project for the master’s programme at the Royal College of Art explores informal relationships and, more specifically, how ‘young African men in Agbogbloshie come together to form a new way of life’. His design creates five spaces near the 20-acre material graveyard in Ghana, where African men – known as burner boys – try to extract the metals inside electronic devices.
The proposal comprises a total of 14 plinths and three canopies made from e-waste, which comments on both material and spatial uses. ‘I want to widen the remit of what architecture is,’ says Adams. ‘I want to challenge architectural canon and what is often perceived as relevant or influential design. This is one of the reasons I try to use writing as a platform to bring underrepresented stories and narrative to the forefront of discussions.’
To that end, Adams co-founded the POoR Collective in 2019, a social enterprise that focuses on empowering and supporting young people to get their voice heard, working with community centres, built environment professionals and local authorities.
He is also a member of the second cohort of New Architecture Writers, a free programme for emerging BAME design critics. ‘I am interested in getting into other creative fields such as art, fashion and product design. I also want to explore writing, speaking and broadcasting, and would like to present design and architectural history documentaries,’ he says.
INFORMATION
-
Dublin-based designer Cara Campos turns abandoned bicycles into sleekly minimal furniture piecesWallpaper* Future Icons: Saudi-raised Irish/French designer Cara Campos' creative approach is rooted in reuse, construction and the lives of objects
-
A Greek brutalist gem wows with its reimagining in AthensAthens architect Georges Batzios squares up to the renovation of a landmark Greek brutalist office block in the capital's suburbs; we revisit a story from the Wallpaper* archive
-
Modernism for sale: a Norman Jaffe-designed icon on Shelter Island hits the marketThe Osofsky House epitomised the glamour of high-end 70s modernism on Long Island. Now updated and refurbished, it’s back on the market for the first time in over two decades
-
Isaac Simpson: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile Bartlett School of Architecture graduate Isaac Simpson.
-
Anam Ahmed: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile graduate of GSAPP, Columbia University, New York, Anam Ahmed.
