Jamiee Williams: “art, design and architecture are some of the most fundamentally important elements of society”

Jamiee Williams, Architect and former architectural lead at SPACE10, is a member of the new Curator Advisory Board for The Mindcraft Project 2021.

Jamiee Williams has quickly garnered a reputation as an instigator of change, and a global pace-setter towards a new symbiotic relationship between design, art, architecture and the places we inhabit. Her varied experiences within the world of art, technology, architecture and design reads as a list of some of Scandinavia’s most future thinking companies and organisations – leading to a sense of anticipation towards her latest ventures.

Originating from Wales, Williams was originally attracted to the honest values of the Danish design and architecture landscape. Having studied architecture and urban planning, a love for minimal, neutral and natural ideals was seen by Williams as the perfect springboard for a society to build upon. These values coupled with Denmark’s environmental awareness were key aspects in Williams deciding to call Copenhagen home, as she explains;

“Danish architecture has for many years been at the forefront of promoting environmental awareness and pushed the industry forward in climate focused design… alongside this, Denmark places so much emphasis on promoting Danish design culture. I really believe that art, design and architecture are some of the most fundamentally important elements of society. It offers the freedom of expression and vision of opportunity that so little else can today.”

This fascination towards merging the arts with architecture and urban planning led to Williams assisting in the foundation and development of Copenhagen’s CHART Art Fair, and later CHART Design. While other offerings presented a more static approach to the display and viewing of contemporary art, CHART has become a hotbed for collaboration between food, art, music, sculpture, architecture and the urban environment to provide a more open and collective approach to the often insular world of art and design.

After 5 years with CHART, this multidisciplinary approach paved the way for a more environmentally focused role within Ikea affiliated SPACE10. As Architectural Lead, William’s role reflected her own views towards cross-discipline collaboration, highlighted through projects such as The Urban Village Project, and a new book launching this February entitled The Ideal City, Exploring Urban Futures. These projects look at collaborative solutions to some of society’s biggest obstacles to a sustainable urban future, as Williams details;

“The challenges we face are so stark that we all need to work together across professions to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis we are facing as a global community. (At SPACE10 we utilised) design to help educate and inspire change and show that with innovative and circular thinking, solutions can exist that are still aesthetic, functional and affordable for as many to access them as possible”

It was with the experience of her time with SPACE10 and CHART that presented the perfect jumping off point for Williams’ latest venture. Fragile is in its infancy, having been created in 2020 in the midst COVID pandemic. While a tricky time to start any new project, 2020 has put into perspective the need for collaboration, but also the disproportionate effects of global events such as COVID and climate change have on the underdeveloped nations of the world. Fragile is setting out to tackle these big global issues;

“Fragile’s ultimate aim is to facilitate, develop and build impactful projects that help secure solutions for humans, systems and habitats facing vulnerable conditions at threat from climate, economic or social shifts. We are only just beginning but I really believe that with courage, trust and collaboration the right progress can be made.”

While Fragile is approaching issues on a macro scale, Jamiee has also been part of founding Pro Tempore.art which looks at the local obstacles of how to activate between spaces. Created by Williams in collaboration with four established artists and curators, Pro Tempore.art is a platform for emerging artists to use established gallery spaces to facilitate ultra-short exhibitions and installations, utilising unused spaces around Copenhagen.

The combination of these two latest ventures perfectly encapsulates an ability to face global issues from a local starting point. Jamiee Williams is a leading voice, both in Scandinavia and abroad, highlighting the importance of the connection between design, art and architecture with sustainable approaches towards urban living and our collective futures.