Rayan Elnayal and Heba Tabidi, founders of the London-based art, architecture and engineering collective Space Black introduce their practice and their interest in the under-represented and under-resourced ideas that have been neglected due to the profession's lack of diversity.

Some Notes invites guest contributors to write additional texts to be part of  the Urgent Pedagogies (UP) archive, or to contribute with brief responses consisting of notes and reflections to already existing pieces in the archive or to the project itself.

The AYC 2023 was a 6 week programme at The Design Museum curated by Space Black. The curriculum introduced 14-16 year olds to design theory and practice- from sketching to computational modelling, and guest lectures from alternative practitioners. The cohort used these skills to design and build their own installation exploring the theme of home. Image by @JustineTrickett, courtesy of Space Black

Who has a seat at the table to speculate the alternative?

Rayan Elnayal and Heba Tabidi

"We are interested in the under-represented and under-resourced ideas that have been neglected due to the profession's lack of diversity. We look to explore these beyond the dimension of traditional practice, and instead amongst communities, young people and designers outside the built environment. We’re driven by a vision for a future in the built environment that steps up to its social and ecological responsibility. The product is a profession that is just, radical and at the forefront of physical and cultural change."

In the 60s and 70s the ‘grand’ masculine eurocentric visions dreamt up by the modernists were being challenged by an uprising of  non-traditional collectives. A revolutionary spirit of resistance found groups experimenting with furniture design, music, installations and visual art. These methods were used to critique the architecture of the era and its position in a socio-political landscape of war, austerity and inequality. 

During this time, a post-independence renaissance was unfolding in Khartoum Sudan. In the 60’s and 70’s, the rise of several modernist movements radically transformed the artistic scene, resulting in a flurry of dynamic creative and experimental outputs in literature, music, theatre, visual arts and architecture. Masjid at Nileen, (The 2 Niles mosque) is a landmark example of the era. The impressive and futuristic design of the mosque was a thesis project by Gamer Eldawla Eltahir, a student at the University of Khartoum.

In the 60s and 70s the ‘grand’ masculine eurocentric visions dreamt up by the modernists were being challenged by an uprising of  non-traditional collectives. A revolutionary spirit of resistance found groups experimenting with furniture design, music, installations and visual art. These methods were used to critique the architecture of the era and its position in a socio-political landscape of war, austerity and inequality. 

During this time, a post-independence renaissance was unfolding in Khartoum Sudan. In the 60’s and 70’s, the rise of several modernist movements radically transformed the artistic scene, resulting in a flurry of dynamic creative and experimental outputs in literature, music, theatre, visual arts and architecture. Masjid at Nileen, [The 2 Niles mosque] is a landmark example of the era. The impressive and futuristic design of the mosque was a thesis project by Gamer Eldawla Eltahir, a student at the University of Khartoum.


Masjid at Nileen (The 2 Niles mosque) Omdurman, Sudan. The mosque sits on the western banks of the Nile river, just opposite to the confluence of the two Niles. Image by @facehunter, courtesy of Space Black

As history repeats itself, the socio-economic climate gripping western europe has found a new generation of alternative practitioners disillusioned and enraged. Injustices are now more visible than ever in the age of social media and an interconnected world. Exploitation, misrepresentation and the danger of conventional practices have become easier to diagnose within our own lives, but with an understanding that it is a by-product of a dysfunctional global system- rooted in capitalism, white supremacy and ecological destruction. 

Founded in 2021, Space Black is a London based design studio exploring underrepresented and under-resourced ideas in the built environment due to the lack of diversity within the profession.
The studio does not necessarily embody a new type of practice. We are simply young adults of the diaspora who are a part of this next cycle. Founded in 2021, the studio is an evolving critique of the profession. The model is an ongoing response to our lived experience combined with time spent in traditional practice. The pedagogical aspects of our work are rooted in three key areas:
  
Concept Design & Research 
Conducting theoretical research and speculative designs to imagine a radical, just and positive spatial future for historically marginalised communities.

Speculative design and the unbuilt stemming from research have, time and time again, been seen to define our futures. Theory leads to practise and creates cultures. As cracks deepen in modernism's failure to communities and our climate, we have to rethink who has a seat at the table to speculate the alternative. We must critique the data being referenced, and challenge the models being used to do so. 

Despite the importance of the 60’s and 70’s in shaping Sudan's contemporary landscape, references to the crucial era are scarce. Whatsmore, the relationship between Sudanese creatives and institutions developed off the back of postcolonial dynamics with the UK is generally unaddressed. 

Academia and it’s theories that permeate into the industry lack these references in their own stories, and those of the region. 

Space Black looks at opportunities to explore these underrepresented and under resourced ideas, to imagine alternative spatial futures. Community led design, small spatial interventions and desktop research help us develop a library of possibility beyond the eurocentric gaze.