Diébédo Francis Kéré designs UNESCO museum for stolen artefacts

UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects by Diébédo Francis Kéré

Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has designed the UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects, which will display 600 artefacts that have been stolen or disappeared.

Created in an earthy colour palette, the virtual museum was created to raise awareness of the illicit trafficking of cultural property worldwide with items were sourced from a database by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

Kéré, who hails from Burkina Faso and founded Berlin-based Kéré Architecture in 2005, aimed to designed the to convey the impact of lost heritage on communities with the UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects.

"As an architect from a country that has been colonised, and whose artworks, treasures and historical artefacts were stolen, my goal is to make people aware of the importance of cultural heritage and the impact of its loss," Kéré told Dezeen.

"These objects are not just art to be displayed," said Kéré. "In many cases, they have very practical functions, serve as tools of communication, or hold communities together in a spiritual way."

"By raising awareness of this, we can understand how these losses affect all of us globally," he continued. "Repatriation and restitution can deepen our understanding of different cultures."

Render of a globe on a hill Diébédo Francis Kéré — Kéré contained the museum within a globe

When entering the website, virtual visitors are first presented with a globe perched on a green hill.

Inside the globe is an amphitheatre with a semicircular auditorium cut into the steps and a glowing archway that clicks through to the Return and Restitution Room, which features formerly lost objects that have been recovered.

At the centre of the amphitheatre is a spiralling form that contains the Stolen Cultural Objects Gallery, designed as an abstract ramp that branches off into zones dedicated to different global regions.

Visitors can scroll through clusters of stolen artefacts within the spiralling gallery or enter region-specific zones, which appear like rooms punctured with arched windows and circular skylights.

"In the galleries, many openings provide light," said Kéré. "They represent the stolen objects that have left cracks in the regions and communities."

Render of an online museum by Diébédo Francis Kéré — The design was based on the baobab tree and its roots

Kéré drew upon trees and their unseen roots when designing the UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects, intending to reflect the importance of art and artefacts to societies.

"The concept for the design of UNESCO's Virtual Museum is based on a tree, specifically the baobab tree, which is central to the lives of many African communities and serves as a symbol of resilience," he told Dezeen.

"A tree has roots, a trunk and a crown – we see the trunk and crown, while its roots remain hidden and provide stability and nourishment."

"Cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, forms the essence of communities – these are the roots," Kéré continued. "Removing these roots deprives communities of the foundation for growth, well-being and happiness."

Although virtual design offered greater creative freedom compared to physical architecture, Kéré said his main intention was to create a simple design that would engage visitors.

"The main challenge in designing a virtual museum is deciding what to leave out, because the possibilities are endless," he said.

"I wanted the design to be relatable and grounded in our experience – simple in form and symbolic, using the tree and the globe," Kéré continued. "The goal was to create something that people can connect with."

Other recent projects by the Kéré, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2022, include a brick mausoleum in Burkina Faso and plans for a timber museum in Germany.

The images are by Kéré Architecture.

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