This month’s pick is part of a new series highlighting organizations that have truly inspired us.
Connor Stevens and Court Ho, both brilliant designers and past students of Clay Space — introduced us to Sheeep Studios, a Toronto-based art, design, and architecture collective co-founded by Riza Nik. Riza is a true jack of all trades and a visionary. He is primarily an architect, with a practice in Toronto and previous experience in Vienna. In 2023, he founded Sheeep as an open-ended design project and experiment.
This sense of openness, a flexibility of vision that allows individuals and groups to explore a variety of disciplines, has always excited us. It also served as part of the inspiration behind Clay Space, alongside influential spaces like Alice Yard and Anima Rural (now ACRAR Portugal), both of which we’ll be highlighting in our future article and newsletter.
Some of Sheeep Studio’s notable projects include the Bentway Staging Grounds (2024), a temporary, interactive installation beneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. In collaboration with NYC-based Agency–Agency, Sheeep designed a whimsical and engaging environment featuring “bathways” and planters nourished by runoff water from the highway.
Another memorable work, Sofreh For Two (2022), was a performance piece and installation exploring traditions around food and culture. Pushing his cart through the Yonge and Finch neighbourhood in north Toronto, Riza reinterpreted sofreh — the Persian practice of sharing meals or tea — which also refers to the fabric on which food is prepared or served.
