Independence.
Moments of bliss and beauty growing like a wildflower through concrete. Rahsaan Roland Kirk stays jamming, a master of multi-instrumentality. I’m heading to London next week, Paris and Berlin to follow. It’s time to leave the American continent for the first time.
The 100 Iconic Chairs of the 20th Century, Designed and researched Spring 2022
Open access chair pngs (transparent) here:
shorturl.at/bnpuy
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Oppression codifies and iconographies itself to hide in everyday society. The 100 Iconic Chairs Archive documents 100 of the most famous and sought-after chair models of the 20th century. By placing the 100 icons and categorizing them based on geography rather than the traditional method of designer, this archive leaves to question the notion that some cultures are more valuable than others when considering the greater design lexicon of the 20th century.
Concretizing: a practice of developing spaces and places, building foundations formally and through conceptual thought, towards the cultivation of sustained and nourishing futures.
IBI Semester 3 comes to an end,
and Sem 4 is beginning.
Insane to look back on the past semesters and realizing I’ve been working with the IBI well over a year now. I’ve spent way too much time in front of my computer, but since then we’ve become a 501c3, launched over 50 episodes, built out immense archives, both physically and digitally. We’re world building, questioning design norms, challenging the built environment… creating typefaces lol. I’ve been leading a fire ass team. Oculus is coming soon, y’all will meet ChromeBae (in the metallic flesh) 🦾🪩 but for now, say hi digitally.
A note to younger self, just trust and keep taking those shots, you won’t miss… And remember to take breaks.
Make now,
Context later.
If I had to contextualize my current state of being, this Seated Stargazer captures it. Through a rhizomatic approach, I’ve been exploring identity, being, cultural connectivity, and the shared human experience throughout several of my projects. What does it mean to explore our roots, specifically ones of Latin American/Mesoamerican identities that are guided by capitalist and colonial ideals, to transform, honor, protect, and simply be? What stories and histories get passed down? Can what was once lost, be recovered? What can we let go of?
Seated Stargazer, Mezcala culture
Artist unknown, 500 BCE - 100 CE
The enigma of stargazers evokes a curiosity from its viewers that addresses greater questions of the human experience. In the end we all stare at the sky, into the darkness, wondering where we came from, what is our purpose here, and what might happen when we are gone. What we see in Mezcala idols is a culture that is peering into the beyond, and we peer back: a confrontation with uncertainty.*
*A confrontation with uncertainty yet a desire to be curious and explore beyond the confines of our immediate understandings, comforts, and systems.
