Evans Wandongo and Reed Krakoff

A collaboration between Kenyan engineer Evans Wadongo and Reed Krakoff at PAD London highlights an intersection between aesthetics and purpose in design.

Throughout his university studies Evans Wadonogo was motivated to develop change within his country as a result of a childhood that was spent struggling to complete homework, straining to study under the dull light of a kerosene lamp. His passion saw the realisation of the MwangaBora lamp, a light source that utilises LED lights and is structured from scrap metal.

MwangaBora, meaning ‘good light’ in Swahili, has generated change throughout Kenya and provided local communities with resources through the manufacturing jobs the lamps have created. The lamps have also injected the economy with funds that have been freed up as result of the decreased need to purchase kerosene.

At this year’s PAD event the MwangaBora lamps find a very different context to the villages of Kenya and adorn the walls of the entrance to the event. Simultaneously shining in an installation created by Reed Krakoff the lamps are partial to the world of design, for which the fair is renowned. Removed from the context of Kenya, the lamps not only raise awareness about living conditions around the world, but also raise questions about design itself. Viewed within the design focused fair, the lamps provoke thoughtfulness for the relationship between a desire for designed objects and their purpose.

PAD London takes place until Sunday 20 October 2013. The MwangaBora lamps will be sold at the event to benefit Wadongo’s organisation ‘Sustainable Development for All Kenya’ (SDFA-Kenya), a not-for-profit that creates opportunities for education, sustainable development and economic empowerment throughout Africa.

www.pad-fairs.com/London
www.sustainabledevelopmentforall.org