Tobi Sobowale is a multidisciplinary artist — writer, portrait photographer and architectural designer — with a passion for understanding how architectural design can transform communities and benefit those who interact with it. She is passionate about opportunities to explore ways in having tangible impact in shaping cultures and communities through the built environment. As an alumni of Blueprint for All (formerly The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) and member of the BLM_Arch@MSA Team, Tobi is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the architecture profession. She has spoken for events such as the Diversity in Architecture Lecture Series by Loughborough School of Architecture and RIBA North East JEDI talks, to share her experience. An evolving writer, Tobi has written for the Architects Journal and Involved Magazine.
This design thesis is an exploratory project that looks at poetry as an aesthetic practice and how it can be used to amplify the voices of people and place. It asks ‘How can poetry and the use of non-traditional methods in architecture, be used to realise an alternative method of community engagement and participation, where the voice of people and spaces are placed at the forefront of the conversation?’
The body of work is presented through a film titled ‘Voices of the Floop: an unconventional play’. It is a work of fiction inspired by the users of the Fallowfield Loop in Manchester. Using poetry, sound and design to initiate a conversation between self and space, where the characters are encouraged to use senses other than sight to engage with their context. Helping the wider audience to look beyond traditional notions, and the preconceptions that we form on people and places.
