Sumayya Vally: Points of Resonance
South African architect Sumayya Vally established her Johannesburg studio Counterspace less than a decade ago. Since then, she has become the youngest architect to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London, has art directed and co-curated the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and has been named one of Time magazine’s ‘100 Next’ – the influential list of emerging leaders shaping the future.
Dividing her time between Johannesburg and London, Vally’s practice manifests a nuanced approach to architecture that focuses on identity, community and gathering to create resilient and inclusive cities.
In advance of her presence at Sydney Design Week 2024, Stephen Todd speaks with Sumayya Vally about her ‘deeply invested’ thinking on the challenges for architects and designers working today.
‘There are so many ways of being, of living together, where a belief system manifests itself through community, through living and being with the seasons, in collaboration; systems where interactions and engagements are based on communal knowledge and understanding, systems of sharing, where everybody has a role to play that is implicitly understood.’
Stephen Todd Sumayya, this year’s Sydney Design Week is themed ‘In Between Worlds’, which is apt to your practice.
Sumayya Vally My base is Johannesburg with the studio and the team, but yes, I live between Joburg and London. London is very convenient to travel from and people are always moving and passing through. But I think seeing the world through the lens of Joburg is very important, and working with South African talent more broadly is critical. When we speak to each other there’s a great resonance in how we understand things. There’s a desire and need to see things beneath the surface in Johannesburg, and I think that is something that is very valuable.
