22 birdhouses find their place in “Dwellings” in the South London Gallery

An old puzzle in design is how to get people to look beyond a physical object and understand that design is a verb, not a noun. One successful approach is to cast the net wide and examine a variety of practices and ask them to respond to a single idea. This brings to light the truth that design is a process with wildly different potential applications and outcomes. This was the aim of a new exhibition that opened this weekend at the South London Gallery, where 22 different individuals and studios working in design were asked to respond to the idea of ​​a birdhouse.

The exhibition was curated by Computer Room, a studio-sharing trio of Andu Masebo, Charlie Humble-Thomas and Jesse Butterfield. They worked closely with Ollie Olanipekun, founder of Flock Together, who launched a birdwatching group for people of colour in 2020 that has since grown into a collective working to promote greater inclusivity in how we experience and enjoy outdoor culture. The results will be on display for two days only in the Orozco Garden and the Clore Studio at the South London Gallery.

Dwellings is a fascinating premise that reveals far more than meets the eye. From glass to photography, from data to ceramics, from reliable wood to bulky ancestral talismans, here we experience the meaning of the slippery word “design” in a multitude of variations, held together by the parameters of an extremely simple brief. The various imaginings delve into concrete and abstract answers; from one to the next pretty, poetic, profound and superficial. We are asked to think about human intervention in shelters; about changing migration patterns caused by climate change; about the harms and possibilities of urban habitats; about our own inherited assumptions about what a shelter or a nest might represent.

It’s far more than a collection of birdhouses. It’s a testament to the rich and restless new generation of designers who are using design as a tool to question and explore, not just address, the overwhelming state of change we find ourselves in. The exhibition reveals the depths of design and builds bridges between fields and cultures. It’s just a shame it’s only on for two days. One hopes it takes off and rests somewhere else a little longer so more people can enjoy it. With that in mind, we spoke to Andu Masebo of Computer Room and one of Wallpaper’s Future Icons to find out more about the project.

Andu Masebo on “Dwellings”

Wallpaper*: Before we get to the birds, tell us about Computer Room and the community business you built near your home.