AUTHOR LP HARTLEY WROTE, "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." So how does South Africa, a country with such a complicated history, begin to grapple with and understand its past and heritage?
As an architect, heritage consultant and Wits lecturer, Yasmin Mayat ponders this question often, specifically in relation to space, design and urbanism. "It's important to be cognisant of our past and our history - and not just the nice side of history, but also our inherited trauma," she says. "I think what's important about heritage is that it's interlinked with who we are, our identity and what makes us who we are today. Without it, we would be lost."
After studying architecture and doing a master's degree in conservation of the built environment, Yasmin and her husband Brendan Hart started their Joburg practice, Mayat Hart Architects & Heritage Consultants, in early 2012. They focus on both design and heritage. "What's great is having an opportunity to not only work on new and contemporary buildings, but to also get the option of retrofitting older buildings and try to give them a new life, whether that's just a newer intervention or even restoration work," Yasmin says.
This story is from the 120 edition of VISI.
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