Visionary Cape Town architect Mokena Makeka launched his dream of establishing a design museum and centre for cultural innovation and leadership at the Audi Centre in Cape Town on Monday evening. He spoke to VISI editor Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly.
What is MoDILA?
When I won the Johnnie Walker Celebrate Strides in Design Award last year, I was invited to nominate a charity of my choice to benefit from my award. Instead, I decided to create an institute of creative excellence that would have a long-term vision, a living museum, to be the beneficiary of that award. MoDILA, the Museum of Design, Innovation, Leadership and Art, is that museum.
Where is MoDILA?
MoDILA has not been built yet. Spaces like this can take many years to be built – the Museum for Art and Design in New York, for example, took 80 years to find a building.
Why does South Africa need a MoDILA?
The reason many museums struggle is because they’re not living spaces. They’re often enmeshed in historical and political perspectives and are often burdened by their collections. MoDILA’s collection will be constantly moving and is going to be a creative concept that’s constantly changing and innovating.
I want to demonstrate that we have ideas here in South Africa that have global and African significance.
When you find the perfect MoDILA space, what will you build?
Some of the ideas we’ve imagined for MoDILA are a creative academy, space for design workshops, a sculpture park, an office for innovation, and spaces for artists in residency. But this is not a static concept.
Is it possible for MoDILA to operate without a building?
Absolutely. We have our first photography workshops starting before the end of this year and next year we launch our high school design mentorship programme. When you don’t have a building, your impact will be limited, but it doesn’t mean we have limited our vision.
For more information, email: communication@modilatrust.co.za
