WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL CAPE TOWN 2014
Co-design workshops
Ward
18, 87, 89, 90, 91
What?
A Memory Centre in Khayelitsha
When and where?
The workshop was held on 17 October 2013 in Solomon Tshuku Hall in Khayelitsha.
Why?
The ward councillors in Khayelitsha chose to pool their 2013/2014 capital budget to address an old
council building in Site C, which has been identified as the site of a community heritage facility or
Memory Centre. There are key aspects of struggle history associated with the site, but also current
uses, including an early childhood development centre, meeting space for traditional leaders, and
informal dwellings, which need to be respected.
Who?
This was the biggest workshop to date, with more than 100 people from five wards taking part. Of the
participants, 91 were community members, 10 were City of Cape Town officials and politicians, and
eight were designers.
.
What emerged?
Design Principles
This design should address a number of complex issues and diverse needs.
The history of forced removals from Crossroads to Site C is an important and emotive topic which
should be captured and expressed well, so the centre should accurately depict the heritage and
culture of people and place.
It could become a special place honouring leaders and important events, similar to a ‘remembrance
wall’, as well as providing information unpacking the ‘seeds of Khayelitsha’. Objective curatorial
oversight should ensure that exhibitions do not become vehicles for propaganda.
Local people are important in telling the stories, and all stakeholders need to be involved in
conceptualising and dressing the memory centre, including local leaders and residents. This would
help to give it a ‘local touch’ – perhaps through traditional design and incorporating local culture – and
ensure it embraces the spirit of ‘ubuntu’. The centre should have a distinctly African feel.
In order to contribute to community development, the memory centre could also provide an eventing
space for cultural activities. The various needs of the community would need to be understood in
order for the facility to accommodate a wide variety of uses.
The space should be well planned to prevent clutter and ensure enough space for people to enjoy
exhibitions. Safety features such as surveillance and monitoring of the facility and an on-site caretaker
should be included to prevent crime.
The old building should not be fundamentally altered, and the new addition/s and surrounds should be
easily maintained, visually attractive, durable, safe, and accessible. The centre should be well
marketed as a destination in Khayelitsha for local and international visitors, so special emphasis
should be given to aesthetic appeal and 'landmark' characteristics. In particular, a green rest area
would add great value to the community. Any management programme should be sustainable, with
strong links into the community: the centre's custodians.
A desired legacy of the memory centre project is a renewed spirit of unity, with community members
involved and working hand-in-hand to achieve something great.
Vision
Two designs were proposed by a textile designer and an interactive designer. Common to both was
the idea of creating a 'place', not simply an object.
The first proposal is a low-impact design of natural and low-tech materials, a second floor meeting
space added to the existing exhibition building, a modified container resource centre and the
remainder of the site taken up with a large garden. Key words in the design process included,
document, participate, record, learn, heal, teach, well-being, community, information, resource,
connect, youth, income generation, and sustainability.
The second proposal, 'Centre for Memory AND Dialogue', includes a framed 'tower' erected as a
functional beacon over and above the existing building. Interactive, new-tech displays suggested
include mapping community stories, dialogue labs, audio memory recording, collective art, user-driven
pixel facades, fixed and roving exhibitions on the upper floors and a viewing deck on the top. Space is
given for community and visitors to relax, braai, eat and play local games.
What next?
The proposals were presented to the subcouncil. The Architecture department is currently involved in
design development. However, the current status is unclear due to spending deadlines for large
pockets of capital budget.