Curating Contemporary Design (in partnership with the Design Museum) MA: Visiting curating residencies

Name: Gabi Ngcobo
Position: Kingston UK Africa Curating Fellowship holder 2008

"Taking up the Kingston University Curatorial Fellowship 2008 gave me the opportunity to network, research and reflect on my practice as a curator from a developing country. It was also a way of spending time in London and experiencing a multicultural city with a vibrant arts scene!

"Having worked for Cape Africa Platform's recent initiative to develop young curators, it was interesting for me to come to London and see what a fellowship such as this could entail. The past five weeks have been overwhelming, intense and stimulating. Although six weeks is a short time, I feel I have been able to broaden my experiences, meet interesting people and learn about a variety of projects happening in London and other parts of the UK.

"The experience has also broadened my limited curatorial understanding of curating contemporary design. Through the curating course led by Professor McDermott, I have been exposed to the V&A Museum and became sensitised to what curating design could mean.

"I have been spending time at the Museum of London working with Annette Day, senior curator of Oral History & Contemporary Collecting, Later London Department. The museum is planning an exhibition looking at the African presence in London, scheduled for 2011.

"I have proposed interim research looking at African artists who have chosen London as a home in the last half-century. To this end, the Stuart Hall Library located at Rivington Place, Iniva has been helpful as a research resource and an opportunity to meet other curators and artists."