Mariam Issoufou Kamara to Design Bët-bi Museum in Senegal

A new museum and cultural center is being built in Senegal, which will showcase historic and contemporary art and serve as temporary repository for art being repatriated to Africa. Spearheaded by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Le Korsa, the Bët-bi Museum will be designed by acclaimed architect Mariam Issoufou Kamara, who was selected by a jury from a shortlist of four African architecture firms. ‘It is a great honour and a privilege to be selected to lead the design of Bët-bi,’ Kamara says. ‘For far too long our region has been a place where cultural wealth is pillaged to profit museum collections. This project is an opportunity to design a new type of space that is inspired by the roots and spiritual legacy of the region. It is a chance to push the boundaries of what defines a museum in the 21st century.’              Bët-bi – or ‘the eye’ in Wolof – will be a state-of-the-art museum in the southwestern part of Senegal, in West Africa, with the 1,000 sq m space comprising an exhibition and events space, a library and community rooms. The new space will be built using sustainable and traditional methods, and created with local artisans.

SOURCE: WALLPAPER