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Mariam Issoufou X INVOLVED Magazine (2020)

Words
For the second physical issue of INVOLVED Magazine, Sarah Osei spoke with the principal of Mariam Issoufou Architects, Mariam Issoufou, about architecture, legacies and social change. 

‘I aspire to make work that makes those who inhabit it feel like they also deserve beautiful architecture, no matter where they are in the world. For me, the idea behind beauty extends beyond aesthetics, something that is beautiful also has to be sustainable in terms of the local climate’ - Mariam Issoufou



Image: Courtesy of Mariam Issoufou Architects


Information

SABO Works is a South London-based architectural and cultural practice founded by Sarah Osei, grounded in lived experiences, multiculturalism and social justice.

Sarah Osei is trained in Architecture and Spatial Practice, working at the intersections of ethnography, policy and architectures through methodologies of the diaspora. Her work is site-specific, amplifying the lesser-heard dialogues of the capital as a means towards celebrating them.  
‘SABO, pronounced [saa-boh], is derived from the Hausa language and means “something new.”

In this context, SABO also functions as an acronym, representing a lineage of names that not only reflects the methodologies of this architectural practice, but also acknowledges a duality of heritages, multicultural identities, and ongoing dialogues deeply rooted in the London periphery - where I was born and raised - but often journeying from beyond’ - Sarah, Amma/Adutwumwaa/Adams, Basoah, Osei.