02/05/2026
FODAY DUMBUYA: THE GATHERING
Now open at Arts Collective
We are incredibly proud to present The Gathering, a major new permanent commission by Foday Dumbuya (co-founder of ) creating a collection of civic furniture for and the Northamptonshire Black History Association Open Studio.
Bringing together design, sculpture, and social space, the works draw on West African traditions of hosting and storytelling, developed through a participatory process with local communities. Dumbuya repositions the languages of personal history, craft, and luxury within a public context—proposing a new model of civic space shaped through gathering, exchange, and shared cultural memory.
The collection is modular, designed to move across rooms and adapt to different occasions—supporting a living, evolving programme of use. We celebrated the opening of our new space with a dinner that was created by and look forward to welcoming our community through many more moments of coming together.
🪑 Bakie Heritage Chair
A sculptural chair shaped by memory. Named after Dumbuya’s grandmother, it brings the intimacy of domestic space into the public realm—where personal histories are held through use and encounter.
Barta Stool 🪘
Inspired by the djembe drum, the stool translates rhythm into form. Wrapped in indigo textile and embroidered with mask motifs, it carries traditions of ceremony, identity, and collective expression.
Nomoli Checkers Board Table ▪️◻️▪️◻️
A functional game table that invites play as a social act. Its sculptural legs draw on Brâncusi forms, transforming play into a shared cultural exchange.
Installed across the building, The Gathering proposes a different model of civic space—one shaped through participation, use, and lived experience.
📍 Arts Collective, 24 Guildhall Road, Northampton
🗓 Now open, Wed–Sat, 11am–5pm
Free entry
→ Swipe to move through the work
Commission by Foday Dumbuya
Supported by &
