E95. Designing In Place. with Nifemi Marcus-Bello

Welcome to the Institute of Black Imagination podcast, beaming in conversations from the galaxy of Black genius. I'm your host, Dario, and today, we have the pleasure of chatting with Nifemi Marcus-Bello, a visionary design director and founder of Nmbello Studio.

Renowned for his community-centric and ethnographically-conscious design ethos, Nifemi’s practice exemplifies how obstacles are merely opportunities in disguise. In this conversation, we explore the journey of a designer deeply rooted in his Nigerian upbringing.

Nifemi shares how he overcame societal pressures that attempted to sway him from his creative path, how reimagining local materials and processes expanded his own design language, and we even get into blood memory and ancestral wisdom. Yeah, it’s one of those episodes.

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram @blackimagination , subscribe to our newsletter for updates, and support the show by clicking this support link. and explore more content on . Now, beaming in from across the Atlantic, design director and industrial designer, Nifemi Marcus-Bello.

Key Links nmbello Studio - is a design studio currently based in Lagos, Nigeria. Our design ethos is rooted in empathy.

Ethnographic Museum of Trocadero - first anthropological museum in Paris Kwali - acts as a portable shop, weaving through Lagos traffic Kerry James Marshall - American artist Salone del Mobile Milano -The global benchmark event for the furnishing and design sector. Anna Karnick - Design Miami Curator 2023 Tavares Strachan - a Bahamian-born conceptual artist Tahir Carl Karmali - Artist Samuel Ross - Fashion designer What to Read Dieter Rams: Ten Principles for Good Design - Cees W. de Jong (Editor) Dieter Rams: The Complete Works - Klaus Klemp What to listen to Tested, Approved & Trusted - Burna Boy Drogba (Joanna) - Afro B Kontrol - Maleek Berry All Over - Tiwa Savage Ginger - Burna Boy Previous IBI Episodes to check out E38.

Toni L. Griffin: The Just City.

E48. Sara Zewde: Parks and Liberation.

E55. Sekou Cooke: Creation of Hip-Hop Architecture.

E61. Justin Garrett Moore: Imagining Black Space.

Who to follow W: nmbello Studio IG: Nifemi Marcus-Bello (@nmbello1) X: nmbello Studio (@nmbello_Studio) / X This conversation was recorded on April 30, 2024. Host Dario Calmese Producer: K.T.

Thompson Lead Designer: Elliott McKnight Director of Digital Content: Vicky Garcia Production Asst: Noa Lesche Archivist & Research: Cyle Warner Original Music composed by Adam Radice Sound Engineer: Adam RadiceWatch other episodes on YouTube at The Institute of Black Imagination.