Evoking the Spirit of Pancho Guedes and Peter Rich in an Era of Artificial Intelligence

In this lecture, Dr Sechaba Maape explores the intersection of his work and that of Architects Peter Rich and Pancho Guedes.

Having developed an interest in both architects since his undergraduate studies at Wits University, Dr. Maape continues the legacy of exploring the intersection of art, architecture, culture, and identity. He presents the various ways in which both Rich and Guedes’ work has informed both creativity and critically his own, developing an architecture infused with his own Setswana culture and other contemporary threads. Dr. Maape pushes this work into the 21st century by introducing the latest generative AI tools in which he fuses artistic craft methods of painting and sculpting with digital mediums.

Through this work, Dr. Maape interrogates the legacy of identity in South African architecture and places it within contemporary discourses of identity, sustainability, and generative AI.