Hip Hop Inpsired Architecture Exhibit - Bar 2 of 16 - The Fifth Element of Hip Hop

July 10, 2014

“Hip hoppers state that critics lack a genre exposure, their deficit of language - their lack of knowledge of history and terminology - further marginalizes innovative new work [within hip hop]. They may like what they see without knowing breaking from b-boying; popping from locking...This type of technical knowledge is as important as historical, cultural and self-knowledge. At the end of the day, it is this fifth element, glaringly absent from the marketplace which may provide the space where art can flourish.”

— Jeff Chang

UW Madison First Wave Scholar, Gretchen Carvajal, shows off her artistic representation of "Picasso Baby" by Jay Z. Photo by: Bradlee Berrtam and Michael Ford

Jay - Z + Mike Ford + UW-Madison = Picasso Babies

June 5, 2014

Check out the images I captured with University of Wisconsin Madison - First Wave scholar Gretchen Carvajal, after I was invited as a guest lecturer to UW-Madison's campus by professor Shawn Peters. While at UW-Madison I introduced the students to fine arts using Jay -Z's "Picasso Baby" lyrics as a catalysis to engage students. Groups of students were challenged to create their own Baby Picasso's based on the lyrical content of Picasso Baby. Can you identify the images from the lyrics?

Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design Lecture - Michael Ford

Mike Ford Takes Hip Hop Architecture to University of Wisconsin

March 29, 2014

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.