Can you explain the name “Counterspace”?
In our discussions on Johannesburg, with its equally contrasting challenges and strangenesses, we knew we wanted to name ourselves something that spoke of this sort of paradox. The word was initially coined by a spatial theorist we had liked at the time, who used it in such a way to qualify that every space has a sort of alter-ego of itself; a “Counterspace.” We search for parallel ways of looking at what spatial practice could be, counter-acting, counter-feiting, counterspacing.
We like the idea of recognizing and bringing the “other” or the unconventional into architecture.
We are motivated by contested and derelict landscapes that sometimes fall into the cracks of where conventional design lies. In Johannesburg many cities live in one; many codes exist which are illegible to their “other”. We are interested in reading all of these codes, all of the “others”.
Counterspace Studio searches for projects that have an unconventional quality to them. At the same time, their work often involves a certain sense of activism against the norms of policy and space in South Africa’s biggest city, especially in forgotten and contested areas.
Their work lies at the intersection of research, architecture, and urban concepts. They create “spatial fairytales” to highlight observations of how history has affected contemporary urban narratives.
“Our experimental ‘laboratory’ tries to cause active change within desperate spaces, and still celebrate the magic in the spirit of the city,” says Vally. “The playfulness in our practices and the opportunity to bend the rules is underlined by satirical commentary and a sophistication in the way serious social issues are tackled.”
A recent investigation into the reappropriation of Johannesburg’s mine dumps led the group to discover clues of how abandoned spaces are being used. They presented their findings in a “forensic scan”, which was exhibited as part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial.