Page 29 - April-June 2024 Edition

02.01.2024: SMILE, YOU’RE IN SHARJAH
When BUZIGAHILL was invited to exhibit at the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, we were confused.
We may be building an industry in Uganda, but we’re not architects and none of us can use
Auto CAD. After a few Zoom calls though, everything made perfect sense.
For the exhibition, our production studio in Kampala was carefully recreated at the Al
Qasimiyah School in Sharjah, and for the duration of the opening week, our entire production
team was flown in to perform the defiant act of RETURN TO SENDER. Bales of second-hand
clothes were specifically sourced from a sorting facility in one of Sharjah’s Free Zones – we
were not surprised to find that the quality of clothing was far better than any bale we’ve
unpacked in Kampala.
RETURN TO SENDER as a performance was immersive: Visitors were invited to experience our
labour-intensive production processes first-hand. Some tried their hands at macramé knotting,
some tried on the pieces being made and many shared stories about second-hand clothing
in their parts of the world.
Two visiting architects from Addis Ababa felt a strong sense of familiarity when they entered our
installation: It was the smell. The smell of unaired, used clothes is part of the architecture of
most African cities.
02.01.2024: RETURNING 1700 PAIRS OF BLUE JEANS
BUZIGAHILL is proud to have produced official merchandise for the Sharjah Architecture
Triennial.
Global merchandise production for any event (from sustainability summits to the NFL) makes
up a substantial part of the global second-hand clothing trade. Cheap event merchandise is
in itself a form of single-use fast fashion.

It took us three defiant months to source and dismantle 1700 pairs of jeans from Owino Market
in Kampala and produce 1000 tote bags and 500 bucket hats. Upcycling, redesigning or
repurposing (call it what you will) are ideas that are often challenged for their price point and
scalability. Our argument is quite clear: We can do it.

Image by: Ian Nnyanzi Image by: Khrumwa Martin

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