Kenyan architectural studio Cave Bureau has examined issues surrounding decolonialisation and decarbonisation by spotlighting the history and architecture of Kenya's volcanic caves.
The Anthropocene Museum exhibition, which is on show at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, features a number of Cave Bureau's projects that use natural architecture to highlight cultural and environmental issues.
As part of its research process, the studio 3D-scanned the insides of Kenya's million-year-old caves before translating the structures into installations and architectural projects.
Cave Bureau translated cave structures into installations
Among the installations in the exhibition is a recreation of the Shimoni caves by the Indian Ocean, which were historically used as a waiting pen for captured slaves. Cave Bureau's design of the caves was made from lightweight mesh.
The project, made in collaboration with the Centre for Information Technology and Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy, was informed by pre-colonial building techniques and was handwoven at the museum.
The studio 3D-analysed the insides of Kenya's caves, which are millions of years old
This process of scanning and translating caves' structures is part of Cave Bureau's overarching vision of exploring the relationship between nature and architecture.
The exhibition highlights how caves have been used as a shelter for refugees escaping slavery and oppression.
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