The making of fufu, a cassava delicacy of West Africa, entails teamwork. Even if you approach it as a duo, one of you will be pounding the starch with a large mortar and pestle while the other regularly folds the resulting dough for an even texture. There is a rhythm to the process, a synchronous energy that is cultivated alongside the hearty meal. For British-Ghanaian designer Giles Tettey Nartey, this humble activity deserves reverence.
His Communion project, part of an ongoing series called Artefacts of Ritual, presents a sculptural setting for the making of fufu, with integrated stools, mortars and pestles. Soft, sensual and seemingly moulded in plastic, it is actually crafted in black-stained American maple — a stunning work...
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Giles Tettey Nartey’s Communion Elevates a Humble Ritual
The furniture and performance piece celebrates the collaborative spirit behind the making of a West African delicacy.