The American Institute of Architects’ South Carolina Chapter (AIASC) is excited to share that this year’s Annual Design Conference will take place in conjunction with renowned nine-day art competition, ArtFields. Held in the small town of Lake City, S.C., the conference will begin on Wednesday, April 18 and end Friday, April 20 with a gift to the community.
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Keynote Conversation: Designing a Just City- Hip Hop Architecture [Video]
Watch Wednesday's Keynote conversation between the Director of the Arts Council in New Orleans, Bryan Lee Jr., the Hip Hop Architect Michael Ford, and Forbes Senior Editor, Zack Greenburg. — Keynote Conversation: Designing a Just City - Hip Hop Architecture.
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Destruction By Design: The Public Housing Of Mice and Men - Part 1
In this series of Juxtaposed, I remix West Coast Rap All-Stars' "We're All In The Same Gang" music video with the audio of John B Calhoun's research on social crowding and aggression. The video, which I first shared during my Hip Hop Architecture lecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, details how the built environment influences behavior.
Read MoreMichael Ford, Hip Hop Architecture lecture at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Press Release - Hip Hop Architecture Lecture Tour
Press Release
September 19, 2015 - The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) hosted Michael Ford during his Hip Hop Architecture lecture tour. Ford was a keynote speaker during the National Organization of Minority Architects Students (NOMAS) Symposium titled, Breaking The Glass Ceiling.
Read MoreHip Hop Architecture at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
The annual NOMAS Symposium is hosted by the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students. This year's theme: "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" is geared towards raising awareness to minorities who have been able to break barriers and overcome obstacles to become successful within the field of Architecture. It will feature a special lecture from the Hip Hop Architect Michael Ford and many more activities, such as mini-lectures and round table discussions--which will be led by some professional architects and some of the School of Architecture's very own faculty.
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Photo By: Nicholas Oran
Hip Hop As Modernism's Post Occupancy Report:Part 2
Hip Hop has established itself as a gravitas culture that crosses borders of race, ethnicity, class, religion and professions. Members of the hip hop generation carry the residue of the culture into all spaces they inhabit and their individual works are seasoned with its’ flavor. As professionals continue to argue the academic validity of hip hop and disseminate the social significance of rap, it is time architectural professionals learn the benefit the culture provides to its’ practitioners.
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Photo By: Nick Oran
Hip Hop As Modernisms' Post Occupancy Report:Part 1
The following audio and related transcript is an excerpt from my lecture, Hip Hop Inspired Architecture, at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design on April 8, 2015. During the lecture I presented my project, Urban Renewal vs Urban Reality, which juxtaposes a series of hip hop music videos and architecture documentaries exhibiting The Golden Era of Hip Hop as a post occupancy report for inner city dwellers inhabitation of modernist visions.
Read MoreHip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture by Michael Ford and Eryk "The Arch-E-Tech" Christian at Madison College, in Madison, Wisconsin on April 29, 2015 at 12:30pm.
Hip Hop Architecture at Madison College
On April 29, 2015 my DJ, Eryk "The Arch-E-Tech" Christian and I will deliver a lecture on Hip Hop Inspired Architecture at Madison College located in Madison Wisconsin. This lecture is a continuation of my current lecture tour, which has included an exhibit at the 2014 AIA Convention in Chicago Illinois, lectures at University of Detroit Mercy, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Syracuse University and Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Read MoreThe Sound Track To My Previous Hip Hop Architecture Presentations
Here is a list of the tracks, in order, from my most recent Hip Hop Architecture lectures and seminars. The lists range from old school classic hip hop to modern day rap. The use of the tracks not only provides a transition between topics as I make an argument for hip hop architecture, the tracks contextualizes the discussion points through lyrical references. It is my hope that the memory evoking power inherent in music will allow attendees recall discussion points from the presentation once its concluded.
Read MoreTowards a Hip Hop Architecture: Syracuse University
This symposium explores a wide range of questions. Does hip-hop architecture, however it is defined, exist? If so, who are its practitioners? Is there an architectural image or a style that reflects hip-hop ideals? Is there a formal language or organizational structure that it should employ? Or is there a process and attitude towards design that will separate hip-hop from conventional architectural practice?
Read MoreFlashback: AIA Detroit - Pecha Kucha Night 2009 + Hip Hop Architecture
On March 25, 2009, I was selected to present my research on Hip Hop Architecture during AIA Detroit's Pecha Kucha Night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown Detroit. The presentation focused on the re purposing of materials to create architectural spaces which encouraged the development and entrepreneurial spirit of hip hop culture.
Read MoreHip Hop Architecure Lecture: University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
On Friday, February 13, 2015 I will team with Eryk "The Arch-E-Tect" Christian to deliver a lecture at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Urban Planning titled, "LeCorbusier, The Forefather of Hip Hop?". The lecture focuses on the subconscious contributions of famed architects and urban planners to the environments which necessitated the birth of hip hop culture. This lecture will culminate with urban culture’s influence on the architectural profession through three interconnected realms: academic research, professional practice and media, ultimately introducing a new architectural style, one inspired by hip hop culture.
Read MoreTime-Lapse Video - Hip Hop Architecture Lecture
On September 24, 2014 I was invited to lecture at University of Detroit Mercy's School of Architecture as a part of the 2014 Detroit Design Festival. Here is a time-lapse video of attendees filling the lecture space.
Read MoreLecture Video Editing
Its time for me to do my best impersonation of Spike Lee as I begin to edit a few videos captured by my photographer at BMB Graphic of my Hip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture this past week at University of Detroit Mercy.
Stay Tuned!
Mayor Windom and Michael Ford. Photo by: BMB Graphics
Hip Hop Architecture Lecture - Who Was There - Mayor DeAndre Windom
The mayor of my hometown was there! The City of Highland Park's Mayor DeAndre Windom attending my Hip Hop Architecture lecture at the University of Detroit Mercy during the 2014 Detroit Design Festival. I appreciate the time that Mayor Windom has taken from his busy schedule to show me support over the years. He has a vested interest in hip hop, as he is married to one of the dopest female MCs to ever touch a mic, Yolanda Whitaker (YO-YO).
Read MoreArchitect, Rainy Hamilton Jr. with Michael Ford at University of Detroit's School of Architecture.
Hip Hop Architecture Lecture - Who Was There - Rainy Hamilton
Architect, Rainy Hamilton Jr. attended my Hip Hop Inspired Architect lecture at University of Detroit this past week. Mr Hamilton is the first African American architect I ever met and he gave me my start in architecture at Hamilton Anderson Associates following my completion of graduate school at UDM. He also pushed me to evolve my concepts and lecture style by sponsoring various trips to present at NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) Conferences around the country.
Read More"Packed House"- Mike Ford's Hip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture at University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture.
Hip Hop Architecture Lecture - Who Was There
Soon I will give an official recap of the kick off of my lecture tour, at University of Detroit's School of Architecture. Until then, I will share a series titled "Who Was There", which will highlight the wide spectrum of lecture attendees.
First up, the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. The (CUDC) is the combined home of the urban design graduate program at Kent State University and the public service activities of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
Thanks for the conversation afterwards and thanks for sharing photos on your CUDC Twitter page!
Hip Hop at 2014 Detroit Design Festival
On September 24, 2014 as part of the 2014 Detroit Design Festival I will give a lecture at titled "Hip Hop Inspired Architecture" at the University of Detroit's School of Architecture.
Date: September 24, 2014
Reception: 5:00pm
Lecture: 6:00pm
See Detroit Design Festival's full lineup here.
The main goals of the lecture are to:
1. Increase the awareness of the social responsibilities of architects and urban planners.
2. Encourage individuals of the profession's underrepresented groups to pursue a career in architecture.
3. Provide tools to increase the recruitment and retention rates of minorities in schools of architecture across the country.
4. Blast some hip hop in the middle of an architecture school!
Hip Hop Inspired Architecture Lecture at University of Detroit Mercy's School of Architecture. September 24, 2015.
Hip Hop Architecture at Detroit Design Festival
On September 24, 2014, Michael Ford will deliver a lecture titled, "Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design" at the University of Detroit Mercy's School of Architecture as a part of Detroit's Design Festival.
Read MoreHip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design Lecture - Michael Ford
Mike Ford Takes Hip Hop Architecture to University of Wisconsin
On February 24, 2014 I took the UW students on an architectural journey which allowed them to discover how the notion of remixing and re-appropriating architectural theories and visions resulted in the unintentional creation of the physical, sociological, political and economical environments which not only prompted, but also predicted the birth of hip hop culture. I must note that these were not architectural students, the attendees represented a broad swath of academic programs offered at University of Wisconsin. A number of them are a part of University of Wisconsin's First Wave program, the largest publicly funded hip hop arts program at any institution in the nation. A full-tuition First Wave scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is named after the legendary pioneer for women in hip-hop, MC Lyte! She is an avid supporter of the program, she announced the first scholarship recipient at a BET Awards Show.
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