Cave_bureau – Shimoni Slave Caves

Louisiana Poster published in connection with Louisiana's exhibition with the Kenyan design studio, Cave Bureau 's thought-provoking work: Looking from the original volcanic caves of Kenya and into the future, Cave_Bureau's architects provide inspiration for future work on current and pressing agendas, including green transition and decolonization. The presentation of Cave Bureau 's work is the sixth and final exhibition in Louisiana's series, Architecture's Workshops.

Kenyan Cave_bureau , founded by architects Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi, works with projects that involve a discussion of the role of museums in the Anthropocene era (the present) - and an ongoing collection of objects and knowledge that can form the basis for a more activist architecture.

Based on the caves in Kenya, Cave_bureau is working on installations, films and proposals for architectural interventions in the landscape under the title, The Anthropocene Museum. Cave_bureau 3D scans the caves and translates the forms into installations and architecture, for example 'Cow Corridor', a restoration of the Maasai grazing routes through Nairobi and a collection of water for wildlife and nature around the caves.

The vast volcanic caves of Kenya contain unique evidence of Kenya's history: the first hominids, East African slaves and freedom fighters during colonialism have all passed through these underground caves. They therefore contain important milestones in the planet's path towards the Anthropocene era - the era in which human impact on nature has become drastically visible.

Today, the area around the caves is a source of geothermal energy, an important player in the green transition. From here, Cave_bureau confronts the challenges of our modern life from an African perspective, where the architect's work must be based on knowledge of geological changes, and where decolonization precedes decarbonization.