SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

Kër Thiossane was founded in 2002 to introduce digital technologies to various regions of Africa. It fosters the integration of multimedia into traditional artistic/creative practices and funds interdisciplinary exchanges related to the environment and social and public places. It is based on the notion that a “true” utopia can be realized using art and open technologies to develop community-based solidarity.

In 2015, Kër Thiossane launched a school in Sicap-Liberté, a district of Dakar, Senegal, to engage in research and other experimental endeavors in the arts, technology, urban ecosystems, economic issues, and neighborhood practices. The environmental facilities, public squares, and education/cultural facilities of Sicap-Liberté are deteriorating further each year because of political unrest, lack of public investment, and the poverty of its residents.

A small lab was opened to find a way to revive the spaces between buildings in the district, which had been highly unsanitary because of discarded plastic. French artist Emmanuel Louisgrand was invited to design and create a garden on one example of such “in-between land.”

The garden is especially meaningful because it is the outcome of funding from and cooperation between the owners and tenants of nearby buildings, real estate agents, and the local government. The garden hosts diverse programs, including workshops, movie screenings, and residents’ meetings, and is a public, open space that is popular with residents. People began to see the garden as an asset of their neighborhood, resulting in a changed, positive atmosphere and more residents becoming interested in caring for the garden.