The Shimoni Cave installation at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

In collaboration with Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Nairobi-based architectural practice Cave_bureau, the Chair for Biohybrid Architecture conceived, developed and managed the production of the Shimoni Cave weave – a centerpiece of Cave_bureau’s exhibition marking the final exhibition in the series The Architect's Studio. 

The Shimoni Cave is a 360m2 portion of the cave network located 75km south of Mombassa, Kenya. The cave acts as a site for anchoring an African origin narrative for architecture, but it is also the site of traumatic acts under Imperial Colonialism. The Shimoni Cave weave draws attention to this history whilst simultaneously offering an approach to repair, reparation and renewal through a focus on reconciling traditional craft practice and knowledge within contemporary contexts. 

The weave was designed using computational tools developed at the Chair for Biohybrid Architecture and handwoven offsite over a period of 5 months. The weave was shipped and assembled in Louisiana Museum throughout June 2023. The show ran from 29th June 2023 – 14th January 2024.