Nifemi Marcus-Bello has designed Oríkì Act I: Friction Ridge, a series of bronze sculptural benches.

Oríkì is a design series by Nifemi Marcus-Bello that investigates materiality, production techniques and identity in the hopes of creating objects, forms, and experiences dictated and driven by the findings.

The series' output will be showcased through various themes called ACTS.

Oríkì – so named after the multi-generational practice of praise poetry and spoken affirmation amongst the Yoruba people and Yoruba speakers of West Africa – presents an edition of sculptural benches rendered in polished bronze.

The benches were exhibited amid a soundscape featuring the voice of the artist's mother, Folake, as she delivered Marcus Bello's personalised oríkì.

This project has been longlisted in the furniture design category of Dezeen Awards 2024.

Studio: Nifemi Marcus-Bello
Project: Oríkì Act I: Friction Ridge