Join us to hear from the Black Women within Matrix Feminist Design Co-Operative.
To continue celebrating International Women’s month 2022, we’re hosting a BFA members-only event to hear from the Black Women, Ann de Graft-Johnson and Gozi Wamuo who were part of Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative.
The Matrix Feminist Design Co-Operative was formed in London in 1981. Matrix was a non-hierarchical collective of female architects, designers, builders and activists.
We’ll discuss Matrix’ beginnings, projects, political agenda as well as Ann and Gozi’s personal journeys and work.
As a practice Matrix focussed on working with clients and groups who were traditionally excluded from decision making relating to the built environment. They also worked with underrepresented communities such as Black and Asian women’s organisations, childcare providers and lesbian & gay housing co-operatives using participatory design methods.
Projects included women’s centres, refuges community buildings, social housing and cooperative housing. The Jagonari Asian Women’s Centre in Whitechapel London is perhaps the most well-known.
Front of Jagonari Asian Women’s Centre
Courtyard of Jagonari Asian Women’s Centre
The event will be hosted by BFA Co-Director Akua Danso who is an Architect & Designer Hut Architecture, a medium-sized practice in Shoreditch, where she has designed and delivered retrofits of commercial spaces and the concept and technical design of private housing projects.
Join the event online on Wednesday 30th March 2022 at 6.00pm GMT+.
Anne de Graft-Johnson
Educator, Researcher & Architect
Ann is an educator, researcher and architect with particular focus on and expertise in inclusive practice covering gender, culture, race and ethnicity, disability.
She has carried out extensive participatory work. Throughout her career, whether in practice or academia, she has worked for greater equality. From 1985 to 1996 she was a member/director of Matrix Feminist Cooperative. Matrix was nominated for the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2021.
Ann was a member of the Intersectionality Athena Swan Governance Committee (ASGC) Subgroup relating to the Independent Review of the Athena Swan Charter. The charter forms a framework for advancing greater gender equality in higher education.
Ann has been very involved in pushing for greater race equality. She is a board member of South Gloucester Race Equality Network (SGREN).
As an educator she has particularly been involved in advancing participatory and inclusive learning vehicles for students. She is joint lead on a Live Project Design Studio module where student work with real clients and communities who could not otherwise afford to resource their projects.
Gozi Wamuo
Architect & Writer
Born to first generation Nigerian Igbo parents Gozi was raised in Northwest London. She is an architect and writer.
From 1989 to 1994 Gozi worked and qualified at Matrix where she became a member/director.
Within Matrix, Gozi worked on social housing, community centres and women’s refuge projects as well exhibiting their work and giving talks about the practice. She recently contributed to an exhibition How we Live Now: Reimaging Spaces with Matrix feminist Design Co-operative held at the Barbican from June 2021 to the end of January 2022.
From 2006 to present Gozi set up TURN architects llp with Andrea Jung to allow her and Andrea to work flexibly with their young families. The practice addresses sustainability and raising client awareness of what clients can and should do to their property.
Gozi has been a Part 3 external examiner which she has enjoyed particularly to show that black women are working in the architectural field.
Gozi’s interest in fiction writing began in earnest in 2018 when she completed a city lit creative writing course penning her life and work experiences through character. She submitted a poem about scars and the stress of being a black woman in Britain to V is for voices a Black American women’s creative platform.
Please note that this is a BFA Member’s only event. If you’re not a member yet, please sign up by emailing our membership team.