Sumayya Vally is the founder of Counterspace, an architecture and research practice. She’s also the youngest architect to have designed the Serpentine Pavilion and she was appointed as the artistic director of the first Islamic Arts Biennale that takes place this coming January in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

In our conversation, we learn about Sumayya’s architecture and research practice, which explores, among many other things, perspectives of difference – questioning current narratives, and bringing a new lens to the current discourse.

We talk about gestures of generosities and the meaning of rituals and discuss the philosophy behind the creation of her Serpentine Pavilion. We also get a glimpse into the Islamic Arts Biennale, and Summaya’s concept for exploring Islamic arts through a contemporary lens.

It’s a powerful conversation about following your beliefs and questioning status quo.

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Counterspace website: counterspace-studio.com

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Podcast music and production: James Greenfield

Production: Green Podcast Productions