L-R-G - Fuck the Buff - Creativity is King

"LRG" is a champion of independent expression and artist passion. At the core of tis original expression and creation passion, graffiti and underground art are deeply rooted. The buff tries to stifle the passion and expression of the underground and snuff out our cultures innovative essence, but LRG triumphs in this struggle by supporting street artists and the individuals who fight to keep their names seen and voices heard. The the buff. Creativity is King" - LRG

Take a look at some addition work by Pose and Vizzie which is posted on LRG's blog click here.

 

Kanye West - Interior Design Magazine

Kanye West studied fine art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago on scholarship. He collects pop art. And he absolutely adores design.

"It's been my dream to be in Interior Design."

- Kanye West

Given his celeb stature, West's home is surprisingly restrained—the furthest thing imaginable from MTV Cribs. Built on spec, the 4,200-square-foot, three-level house started out as a beige stucco monolith. Inside were blond maple floors, an immense black granite fireplace taking up a wall in the living room, more granite in the kitchen, and random soffits all over. "Kanye loved the newness and the city views," Stewart recalls.

When West purchased the property, he was initially looking only for furnishings. That phase was short-lived. "Kanye started to realize how into design he is," Stewart continues. "Staying at the Bulgari in Milan and the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo on tour, he'd come back full of ideas, in touch with his inner minimalist." What West envisioned was a cross between a museum and a Louis Vuitton boutique. The project eventually morphed into a full-fledged renovation, lasting almost three years.

Originally posted here in

Interior Design Magazine

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Timeline – Graffiti & Street Art Influences

I'm sharing for photos from this blog post titled "Tracing Back Streetart to its Roots – A Simple yet Smart Infographic". Check out the infographic by Daniel Feral!

Daniel Ferral

A timeline which shows graffiti and street art influences.  

Architecture - Chopped and Skewed

Work of photography and artist Filip Dujardin. Fillip studied history or art at the University of Ghent, and specialized in architecture.

His approach to architectural works is stunning and can be an approach used in the creation of a hip hop inspired architecture. Filip's work is the architectural equivalent to sampling in music, or even the "break beat".   

The break beat is typically the best portion of bars of a song, looped over and over again in an effort to create a seamless loop of the best portion of a song, ultimately encouraging the audience to dance. In Filips work, various portions or architectural details and geometry is looped in the same way, only instead of encouraging the viewer to dance, his work encourages you to follow the repetitions throughout the entire piece.

Click here for additional work. 

Quote of the Day

“The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization.”

- Frank Lloyd Wright

A quote which was a driving force during the long studio hours of graduate school at University of Detroit Mercy as I developed my graduate thesis titled "Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design. Frank Lloyd Wright made a bold statement here which I applied directly to the evolution of Hip Hop Culture and its lack of an architectural style. Hip Hop is one of the worlds most recognizable cultures, with its various art forms, including, MCing, DJing, Graffiti and Breaking but Frank Lloyd Wright calls the mother art, architecture. Is it possible for Hip Hoppers to establish a “mother art” and develop a “soul” of its own civilization."?

 

The Architectural Planning that Created Hip Hop

As architects, designers and urban planners we create the spaces and environments which hosts the day to day interactions of every living being which ultimately nurtures the development of culture. Through a series of my blog posts, you can see how architects and planners subconsciously contributed to the environments which unintentionally created the socially, economically, politically and physically restrictive spaces which resulted in the birth of the hip hop nation. A culture which rebels against social norms and social structure, a culture which results from economical, social and political deprivations.

In the portion of the video from a PBS documentary below, one of the first housing projects in New York city is displayed through the lens of utopia if you ask me. The commercial which promotes the high density housing units is laughable today, knowing what these "housing projects" became once this grand scheme disseminated across the inner cities of America.  This was Robert Moses' attempt at solving housing issues in the Bronx as he shuffled residents while as he planned and built the Cross Bronx Expressway. A grand idea, that fizzled and resulted in becoming some of the toughest places to sustain life throughout the country, "The Projects".  Fast forward to the 2:58 mark of the video for the commercial.

If you want to view the entire series "The World That Robert Moses Built" by PBS.org. Click Here 

Take a look at a previous blog post to understand how LeCorbusier's vision was implemented by Robert Moses in the South Bronx.

Le Corbusier - The Forefather of Hip Hop?

The Making of The Throne - Part 1

“The essence of hip hop truly is the transformation of existing objects and forms.” - KRS-One

This series of blogs will chronicle the design and production process of turning an old furniture piece into a work of art.

Part 1

A number of different materials schemes were reviewed, including leather upholstery, Louis Vuitton prints, and cow hides, combined with various car paints with metallic flakes for the intricate chair frame.

 

Ice Cube Celebrates the Eames

Did you know before becoming a world famous hip hop star and actor, Ice Cube studied architectural drafting in South Central LA?

The Panic Room - BIGADDICT

Every year at the Panier Hotel in Marseille, France, five special rooms are handed over to artists to do as they please. Now in it’s third iteration, one of this year’s rooms is starting to make a buzz.

Dubbed the ‘Panic Room‘, it’s the brainchild of graf artist TILT. Half of the room is pristine white and the other half is an explosion of colour that makes one think they’re in two places at once.

Which side would you sleep on?

Watch the video below and click through the gallery for the project imagery.

Zaha Hadid - Avilion Tri

Hadid states that this tap is designed with the fluid motion of water in mind, but once again, I take it as being inspired by the flowing nature of graffiti. See the project description below:

The new Avilion Triflow tap is inspired by the fluid movement of  water. As a standard tap design begins and ends with a geometric arc  which renders the water visible only when it leaves the faucet head. The  design by Zaha Hadid Architects creates a form derived from the  internal movements of water, as a single fluid gesture, where all parts  are meant to convey the continuous fl ow between tap, work surface, and  basin.

The Avilion Triflow Tap also incorporates unique manufacturing and  functional elements seamlessly into its design. It is revolutionary in  its shape as the manufacture incorporates the newest methods of rapid  prototyping with a unique ceramic coring process to create each tap as a   bespoke art piece. A separate waterway for purified water is controlled  by a touch sensitive electronic actuator while hot and cold are  controlled by a single lever which blends with the body of the form as  the faucet lightly balances on the work-top.

For additional information please click here

 

Ballerina Bathtub

Ballerine is a creative combination of a single bathtub and a free standing shower cabin. The integrated shower head functions as a bath faucet and a shower disc. It’s installed on a flexible arm which easily adjusts to any height and allows you to set the intensity of the water stream and direction. The flexible arm is constructed of an adjustable nylon-silicon surface. Once activated, the frame stiffens like a backbone.

Imagine if the motion of a break dancer is captured and represented in the built environment, what would we see?

Designer: Gustaw Lange

Read more at http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/05/20/ballerina-bathtub/#1uDLtHR62p3axleZ.99

 

Pharrell Phurniture

In Collaboration with designer Domeau & Peres, Pharrell tries his hand in creating couture furniture for a gallery show in Paris.

I wish I was able to get in contact with Pharrell to show him some of my “BrandNU” custom and couture furniture designs! That would have been an assume meeting!

Blog Source

iknowtheledge.com

 

Hip Hop Mogul - Pharrell designs new furniture

Louis Armstrong Park - New Orleans

Louis Armstrong Park was developed with the city of New Orleans to highlight the site’s rich, historic African American heritage and culture. The interpretive plaza celebrates six key contributors, linking them through design elements and the creation of an animated public space. Louis Armstrong Park is a 29.23-acreregional park, housing vital cultural resources such as the Municipal Auditorium, Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, the National Jazz Historical Park, and Congo Square. The park provides an interpretive “journey” through New Orleans’ history and culture, while creating educational and cultural opportunities for families. As a team member while working at Hamilton Anderson Associates in Detroit, Michigan, Michael Ford was involved with developing the design concept and architectural graphics.