Nicole Nomsa Moyo wins Design Commission with a bejeweled storytelling celebration of African culture embellishing the Miami Design District.
Phindile Masombuka, Sophy Mbonani, Paulina Matshika, Daphny Matshika, Nomusa Nkosi, Chipo Mutimurefu, Nicole Nomsa Moyo, Colleta Muhlava, Sarah Mahlangu, Margareth Moyo. PHOTO BY TATENDA CHIDORA COURTESY OF MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
Nicole Nomsa Moyo describes being Zimbabwe-born, South Africa-raised and an architect and urban designer living in Toronto as joyfully eclectic. So too, is “Pearl Jam,” her winning Design Commission that embraces a wide treasure trove of cultures, themes and creative techniques. Experienced across the Miami Design District, Moyo’s jewelry-inspired public artworks are, however, hyper-focused on her intention to sustain lesser-understood cultures which exist outside of Western paradigms. Specifically, she is concentrated on preserving traditional creative techniques of Africa’s Ndebele culture within her contemporary practice of placemaking. As an originator and intermediary of visual storytelling, Moyo and the Ndebele women with whom she collaborates, have created four oversized, interactive and colorful pearl-inspired artworks in the shape of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings—melding tradition and technology to dazzling effect.
Portrait of Nicole Nomsa Moyo PHOTO BY TATENDA CHIDORA COURTESY OF MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
Relocating to Canada to study, Moyo completed the Master of Architecture program at Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism in 2015 with her award-winning thesis UKUBUTHA. Moyo researched South Africa’s Mamelodi township, activating architectural solutions for the community while gaining invaluable insight into powerfully translating data through storytelling. For Moyo, creative education focused on movements and less on culture. As such, she adopted a pragmatic practice merging architecture, design, art and craft for unrestricted innovation—resulting in multiple subsequent awards and recognitions, including in World Architecture Community, Dezeen and ArchDaily that accoladed her drawings as “The Best Architecture Drawings of the Year” in 2019. This integrative creativity defines the methodologies behind Pearl Jam’s pearl clusters and beaded fors.
Moyo’s intricate craftsmanship PHOTO BY TATENDA CHIDORA COURTESY OF MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
“Nicole Nomsa Moyo’s ability to honor the Ndebele people’s intricate craftsmanship while translating it into a modern context demonstrates a remarkable understanding of both tradition and innovation,” shares Craig Robins, founder of Dacra and the decade-long Annual Design Commission awarded this year in collaboration with Design Miami Curatorial Lab.
Contrasting her multi-geographic identity, Moyo found a sense of place in the spirit and intentionality of the work of celebrated South African artist Dr. Esther Mahlangu. Dr. Mahlangu, in her 80s, has found increased notoriety internationally with her colorful, patterned Ndebele paintings that define her familial identity on the wall of her home, on canvases, and even on a BMW 525i Art Car series. Moyo recently met Dr. Mahlangu, drawing inspiration from her timeless techniques and design and patternmaking sensibilities. Expanding on these concepts, Moyo shares, “using Ndebele’s creative approaches, I formulated my own patterns for Pearl Jam to unarchive the past, create a sense of place and imagine a future that is simultaneously personal yet also universal.”
A portrait of Nicole Nomsa Moyo PHOTO BY TATENDA CHIDORA COURTESY OF MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
‘‘Nicole Nomsa Moyo’s ability to honor the Ndebele people’s intricate craftsmanship while translating it into a modern context demonstrates a remarkable understanding of both tradition and innovation.”
The color, form and textured beading of Moyo’s pearls and clusters translates across demographics by stimulating visual, tactile and interactive appreciation. A large bracelet can be walked through, large pearls are spinning seats, while earrings sway from the trees. Together, exuding a sense of value that connects with the neighborhood’s world-class architecture and opulent shopping experiences. For Moyo, this interaction ensures that traditional methods of making and visual stories are shared and preserved.
Nicole Nomsa Moyo, Margareth Moyo and Daphny Matshika. PHOTO BY TATENDA CHIDORA COURTESY OF MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
Robins concludes, “As visitors navigate the Miami Design District, they encounter an interplay between cultural traditions and modernity, which is what makes Pearl Jam a transformative experience.”
Photography by: Photo By: Tatenda Chidora; Courtesy of Miami Design District
