John Parker

David Adjaye

From the ancient Nile Valley to the savannas of medieval West Africa, the highlands of Ethiopia and on to the forests, lakes and grasslands to the south, African civilizations have given rise to some of the worlds most impressive kingdoms. Yet Africas history is often little known beyond the devastation wrought by the slave trade and European colonial rule. In this groundbreaking new book, nine leading historians of Africa take a fresh look at these great kingdoms and empires over five thousand years of recorded history. How was kingship forged in Africa and how did it operate? Was dynastic power maintained by consent or by coercion? Did kings and queens display and project that power for all to see, or did they hide it away, as beneath the fringed crowns that concealed the faces of sacred Yoruba rulers? In what ways have African peoples themselves recorded, celebrated and critiqued the deeds of their kings? Great Kingdoms of Africa explores some of the most important questions in the continents deep past. As elsewhere in the world, absolute monarchy in Africa has been on the wane in the modern era. Yet kingship continues to thrive within many present-day African nations, preserving deep-rooted ideas about culture, identity and sacred power. Presenting exciting developments in the understanding of how states and societies have interacted with each other across time, this book shows how powerful and sophisticated kingdoms have shaped the course of African history and continue to do so in the present day.

Great Kingdoms of Africa

Spencer Bailey

Teresita Fernández

Alchemy, the Material World of David Adjaye

Philip Ursprung

Daniela Keiser

An artistic reflection on the impact of David Adjaye's architecture for the Idea Stores in London. Daniela Keiser ranks among the most renowned contemporary artists in Switzerland. In 2017 she was awarded the Swiss national art prize Prix Meret Oppenheim as well as a studio grant from Landis & Gyr Stiftung that enabled her to embark on an extended stay in London's East End. There she discovered the Idea Store, the public library on Whitechapel Road built by British architect David Adjaye. Upon its opening to the public, this institution quickly became a meeting place for a broad spectrum of society, including socially disadvantaged people. The goal of the Idea Stores--eight of them have been opened in various London boroughs since 2005--is to enhance formerly neglected neighborhoods and offer a low-threshold source of education and information. From that initial Idea Store on Whitechapel Road, Daniela Keiser began to take pictures of the goings-on in the street outside. Her Library--Idea Store,321 Whitechapel Rd, Shadwell, London E1 1BU series reveals a calm, repetitive, but insistent image of the city and offers insight into the small everyday variations of the surrounding world. This book pairs her photographic reflections with a conversation between David Adjaye and art and architecture historian Philip Ursprung. They talk about Keiser's perception of the site and--without actually showing the building--the impact of urban design and the architect's intentions.

London - Being in the Library

David Adjaye is one of Britain's leading contemporary architects. Known for his domestic projects, Making Public Buildings focuses for the first time on Adjaye's engagement with civic space and the built environment.

Making Public Buildings : Specificity, Customization, Imbrication

At just over forty, David Adjaye is one of the worlds most exciting and accomplished architects, and has built many highly acclaimed houses and public buildings in the UK and USA. Over a ten-year period, the Tanzanian born, London-based architect has visited 53 major African cities and photographed thousands of buildings, sites and places that few of us will ever be able to visit. This 7-volume slipcased edition documents Adjaye's tribute to African metropolitan architecture. The individual volumes present cities according to the terrain in which they are situated the Maghreb, Desert, The Sahel, Savannah and Grassland, Mountain and Highveld, and Forest. Each city is shown in a concise urban history, fact file, maps and satellite imagery, along with Adjaye's personal travel notes and dozens of photographs of the city's civic, commercial and residential architecture. All six terrain volumes feature an introductory essay by Adjaye, and a separate volume is dedicated to essays by leading academics and commentators on Africa.

A Photographic Survey of Metropolitan Architecture

Adjaye Africa Architecture

Chris Ofili

Carol Becker

A monograph survey of the alternate-media artist's development and creative expression of the contemporary world explores his blending of African ritual, western tradition, and hip-hop culture as well as his use of such materials as bead-dot paint, popular media collages, and elephant dung.

A dazzling tour of fifteen contemporary houses designed by David Adjaye, one of the most influential architects of his generation

David Adjaye: Living Spaces

A comprehensive monograph presenting the early work of David Adjaye, one the most important international architects working today.

David Adjaye

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