A conversation with Sandra Githinji

We stopped in our scrolling tracks when our eyes crossed the regal gaze of a sculptured goddess and her crown bursting with floral blooms. Created by designer Sandra Githinji, we delved deeper to discover that the gaze belongs to Queen Nandi - one of the most significant queens in South African history - and forms part of a collection of vessels conceptualised by Sandra entitled ‘Bloom’.

Sandra Githinji ©Sergei Pozdniakov

Born in Kenya and raised in Melbourne - where her studio is now based - Sandra herself is the balanced amalgamation of cultures and experiences. ‘Bloom’ sprung from her desire to manifest into physical form her African heritage and deep reverence for the diverse facets of pre-colonial Africa, while combining this vision with her distinct aesthetic shaped by her experiences in Australia.

For Sandra, objects are a fascination, for they each hold a story unique unto themselves that speaks of the hands and minds that created them while embodying a distinct purpose. ‘Bloom’ is set to bring to life the lives of incredible women that were determinant in influencing the social dynamics within historical Africa, retrieving and celebrating these through handcrafted vessels.

Styling: Susie Zarris Photography:Meagan Harding

 The complete collection will see the realisation of a variety of differing vases, which, in the words of Sandra, “physically symbolise the stories of these women who bloomed where they were planted, some through difficult situations, yet they rose and paved the way for many of us today, standing as symbols of the power in women.”

Enthralled by the narrative that underpins Sandra’s collection and by how she has beautifully threaded her multi-cultural life into her design aesthetic, we asked her ten questions drawn from the Proust Questionnaire - a questionnaire that has its origins in a parlour game that had been popularised by French essayist Marcel Proust, designed to reveal the player’s true nature.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Self-love and acceptance.

What is your current state of mind?

Grateful. I took a step out into the unknown last year when I launched my independent design practice amidst a global pandemic. The journey has been wondrous. The support I've received from family and friends has been profound, not to mention the community that has been created through the Kickstartercampaign for the project ‘Bloom’. I wake up everyday, grateful to be able to create freely, and that the work resonates with people.

Styling: Susie Zarris Photography: Meagan Harding 

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, who or what would she/he/it be and why?

It would have to be Doctor Strange so I could travel through time from the beginning of the universe. I've been fascinated with pre-colonial Africa, and to be able to experience it and live through lost history would be extraordinary.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To retain information. My memory is terrible.

What is your greatest regret?

I don't have regrets - not because I don't wish certain things could have played out differently, but because I fully believe in the course that has been set out before me. That everything I have endured has moulded me to the person I am today. It all matters and because of this, I don't have regrets.

What is your most treasured possession?

My sense of self, free of external commentary.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Empathy.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Empathy.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The work I will leave behind.

© Amanda Harsono

What is your motto?

Whatever it is you are searching for, it is already in you. Always look inward.