Urban/Landscape Design Archive

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    Moving on to 2011: Better things and good fortune

    Posted on January 4, 2011 | No Comments

    by Atim Annette Oton

    2010 was a hard year for the design industry. It was even harder on black designers across all the sectors Black Design News Network (BDNN)  - Architecture, Fashion Design, Graphic/Media Design, Interior Design, Product Design and Urban/Landscape Design. Most of the news was focused on the closing of firms and surviving the recession. The real major mews was the Haiti Earthquake which captivated the design industry and spurred a few design competitions and a lot of fundraising. After a year, very little has changed in Haiti. As one black designer from New Orleans said, “we are still here trying to get over the New Orleans disaster, how can we real help in Haiti?” It is a good question. Haiti begs a series of questions but it really asks: what is the role of designers before and after disasters? BDNN came to Haiti with that perspective and continues to explore this question.

    2011 is the year of the rabbit. The Chinese say it best: “A placid year, very much welcomed and needed after the ferocious year of the Tiger.” For 2011, here are some predicted trends:

    There are good things in store for 2011. 2010 taught us all a few major lessons: Have a Plan A, B, C and even a Plan D. Life can change dramatically. Update your resume monthly and be ready to work globally. 2011 is about what we learnt from 2010 and how we can function better.

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    The BDNN WORD: Weekly News, Chit-Chat, Hot Spots – November 9, 2010

    Posted on November 9, 2010 | No Comments

    The BDNN Word is the Daily News, Weekly Briefs and Chit-Chat updates and ongoings in the black design community across the globe.  It is conceived, compiled and created by Atim Annette Oton.

    November 9 News:

    1. BDNN Fashion: Vlisco release New Ankara Lace, see here.

    2. BDNN Architecture: Ghana’s Architecture with Mabel Wilson, see here

    3. BDNN Architecture: Architects to build skills centres for housing, see here.

    4. BDNN Architecture: Exhibition to See, here

    5. BDNN Architecture: Haiti Habitat – a Call for Collaborative Design for sustainable home solutions in Haiti.  For more information visit:  www.Haiti-Habitat.com

    6. BDNN Haiti: Japan and Haiti, earthquakes, See details here

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  • The BDNN WORD: Weekly News, Chit-Chat, Hot Spots – November 5, 2010

    The BDNN WORD: Weekly News, Chit-Chat, Hot Spots – November 5, 2010

    Posted on November 5, 2010 | No Comments

    The BDNN Word is the Daily News, Weekly Briefs and Chit-Chat updates and ongoings in the black design community across the globe.  It is conceived, compiled and created by Atim Annette Oton.

    November 5 News:

    1. ART: Xenobia Bailey at the Fuller Museum

    2. FASHION: African Inspired Clothing

    3. ARCHITECTURE: Haiti and TOMAS

    4. FASHION: Patterned fashion

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    Rivington Gallery: A Must See in London

    Posted on November 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

    by Michele Washington

    Need of a diverse cultural surge in London? Rivington Place is a must see. Located in the Shoreditch section of East London, this exhilarating cultural center is one of the first newly built gallery artist spaces in London since the Hayward Gallery in 1968. It is a public two-story space housing two cultural organizations, Autograph ABP and INVIA (Institute of International Visual Arts). Autograph ABP curates photography exhibits with a focus on cultural identity and human rights while INVIA, provides much needed diverse global educational programs, and research in the visual arts.

    Rivington Place is booming with a multitude of dynamic programming from film screenings, lectures, plus the Stuart Hall Library, named after Jamaica born intellect and one of Britain’s leading cultural theorist of the 20th century. The library is a repository of unique holding of cultural and visual materials from British artist of diverse backgrounds to contemporary art from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, along with its expansive collection of monographs, exhibitions catalogs, and various art periodicals. It includes work by such prominent visual artist as filmmaker Isaac Julien, Hew Locke and Chris Ofili whose collaged Madonna piece imbued with dung created a hoopla at the Brooklyn Museum in 1999.

    Just as fascinating is the building’s sculptural form designed by Tanzanian born international architect, David Adajye in 2007, with offices in London, Berlin and New York City. Situated on the corner of Rivington Street and Rivington Place, the stoned structure seems much taller than its two stories. Adajye’s exterior facade was inspired by Sowei mask from Sierra Leone; the exterior structure is configured in symmetrical a lattice pattern of gray stone and glass allowing natural light to flow into the interior space. The Facades earthy gray tones are reflected in the lobby, and swanky cafe located in the back on the first floor that offers visitors tasty snacks.

    On view in the galleries through 27 November, 2010 at Rivington Place are two magnificent photography exhibits” Ever Young: James Barnor and The Paris Albums 1900 W.E.B Du Bois both curated by Autograph ABP.  James Barnor, a prominent Ghanaian photographer began his career in Jamestown, Accra in 1949. In the 1950s, Barnor operated Ever Young studio in Accra, and photographed for the top African lifestyle DRUM magazine.

    James Barnor’s showing of a series of lively over-scaled black and white or color photographs depicts everyday life of men; women and children, marks him as a highly skilled portraiture photographer. Barnor knows how to capture the essence of his subjects by placing them in a variety of staged studio settings or campy street scenes. His images span the spectrum from hyper-stylized street fashion photography of a woman in a mini dress standing in sea of pigeons in Trafalgar Square in London. To a hilarious parody by a group of African comedians switching up vaudevilles derogatory blackface to mocking whiteface.

    Untitled #8, 1972 captures a woman sporting an Afro hairstyle, as a perfect example of transferences borrowing from the 1960s Black Arts Movement in the United States. In another photograph a striking pose of preteen-girl leaning on an upright white wooden pedestal, creates a compelling visual narrative by the contrasting placement of a tattered ceramic mascot of a young white girl, originally designed for the family run umbrella shop James and Sons. Does this image imply the black girls achievement of power?

    Barnor’s body of work offer the viewer a unique chance to visually experience the transatlantic transferences of everyday life through portraitures of Ghanaians after they migrated to London during the 1960s and 1970s.

    The Paris Albums 1900: WEB DuBois featuring a unique historical collection of photography was previously shown at the 1900 Paris Exposition. DuBois showed his entire 363 photographs in the American Negro Exhibit section; this has only 200 photos of Negroe types from Georgia and they represent a visual construction of the New African American identity. They show an insight into the conditions of black culture at the end of the 19th century, just 35 years after the abolition of slavery.

    None of the sitters are identified. Simply posed, the sitters are stylishly dressed, the women in high collared laced Victorian dresses, and the men in dapper suits with crisp white buttoned collared shirts and thin bow ties. Look for the sitters’ Eurocentric facial traits with characteristically thinner noses and lips, and wavy or naturally straight hair texture; and the sequential arrangement of the photos mimicking the repetitive flow of filmstrip projected on a wall. While the images are impressive, it is the quotations aligning the outer walls above the photos that provide a context of the cultural significance of the Negroes lifestyle and DuBois’ political theory.

    Both shows run until 27 November 2010 at Rivington Place, located at Rivington Pace, in London.

    Rivington Place, London EC2A 3BA, Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 1240, info@rivingtonplace.org, web: http://www.rivingtonplace.org/

    Autograph ABP: +44 (0)20 7729 9200, www.autograph-abp.co.uk, info@autograph-abp.co.uk

    Iniva: +44 (0)20 7729 9616; www.iniva.org; iniva@iniva.org

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    Inside African Design World by Nii Commey Botchway: November 3, 2010

    Posted on November 4, 2010 | No Comments

    by Nii Commey Botchway

    Each day, I send out a series of vital bits of information to my contacts and one day Atim Annette Oton suggested we chronicle my list of insights and websites I find into a series for Black Design News Network. Inside African Design World is BDNN’s way of collecting my insights. This is the journey where I will post 5-10 items every two weeks. Collect, Share and Re-distribute. It’s Africa’s Design time.

    1. Good Resource FYI: http://www.africandigitalart.com/

    2. Interesting Article: http://www.fastcompany.com/1596460/kenyas-first-viral-music-video-an-autotuned-blaxploitation-epic

    3. African youth and the African brand- interesting: http://annansi.com/blog/2010/04/african-youth-and-the-african-brand-presentation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+annansi%2FFgtA+%28Annansi+Chronicles%29

    4. New modes in design education: http://johnnyholland.org/2010/04/12/the-strange-connection-between-entitlement-social-innovation-and-interaction-design/

    5. This is why I teach. Portfolio of one of my ex-students who graduated just in Feb. Enjoy: http://somethingclairva.blogspot.com/

    _______________

    Nii Commey (Nii K) Botchway - Trained at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (formally the Port Elizabeth Technikon), in South Africa, Nii is a graphic designer and educator. After serving as an art director in the advertising industry for several years, he shifted his focus towards academia. Nii’s most recent posts were at Vega the Brand Communication School Johannesburg, heading up the 2nd year B.A. programme, and a part-time lectureship at NEMISA (National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa). As a participant in the ICSID Interdesign Citymove Gellivare Sweden, he worked in an internationl, multidisciplinary team of designers to develop sustainable solutions for relocating a city adversely affected by mining. This was a rewarding experience that significantly influenced his approach to design education. Nii relocated to Accra in early 2010 and worked for Ogilvy. He just returned to South Africa. Be sure to check out Ab-Strackt, Nii’s online T-Shirt company.

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  • walter

    A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

    Posted on November 3, 2010 | No Comments

    Evidence of Twenty First Century Diversity in One Premier Southwest University

    by Walter L. Wilson, AIA, NOMA, NCARB

    There were no disagreements among the passengers, two women, in my Chevy HHR with regard to the vivid landscapes Mother Earth painted along either side of the concrete and asphalt ribbons snaking south and westward toward Stillwater, Oklahoma.  The passengers, my wife of over 26 years and my 85 year old mother-in-law, were more or less accustomed to hanging out together on long road trips across the United States and Canada. This Oklahoma trip was also meant to be among our last outings together as a traveling trio, my mother-in-law is slowly losing the vigor and get-up-and-go she once had when we were younger. Ours was meant to be a laid back road-trip originating in the lakefront city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Site-seeing was especially noteworthy for this, mid April trip, and outbursts of pleasure and astonishment inadvertently interrupted the whispering road noises in the background.  I was excited and anxious to return to the trade mark Permian red clay soil on which set the town of Stillwater, Oklahoma and more importantly Oklahoma State University School of Architecture.

    It was a 75 degree, partly cloudy Oklahoma day. Light rain was forecast but no storms were expected.  The delightful fragrance of blossoming redbuds and Japanese Lilacs trees filled the air. The occasion was the one hundredth anniversary of the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture [1909-2009].  Facilitating the move out of its cramped, inefficient quarters in the engineering building to the rejuvenated old stand-alone Oklahoma A&M College Armory weighed heavily on the mind of Dean Randy Sitsinger, on the harried days leading up to the big extravaganza. Three days were programmed to be the memorable centennial celebration of the architectural school’s one hundred year heritage as a premier academic, architectural program, and that must have been weighing very heavily on young dean’s mind.    The early Twentieth Century brick masonry Armory, was renovated and expanded with bookend additions into the new Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture.  A grant of $14.8 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation provided the funds to remodel 37,000 square feet of existing structure plus an additional 45,000 square feet of new floor space for classrooms, offices, a large auditorium, a lecture hall and more.

    Overflowing pride, interspersed with anxiety and nervousness, masked Dean Sitsinger’s round face and conservatively cropped fading brown hair and short stocky build, but his warmth and welcoming smile easily camouflaged his pensiveness and unease.

    I do not know how many of the alumni, their spouses and others registered for the OSU School of Architecture Centennial event.  Nor do I know what states or countries the guests were from, but I am certain most regions of the United States were represented and a few countries from overseas were, as well.  Attendance estimated to be three hundred or more people.

    Back in the day, when I first arrived at OSU, I was one of only three African American students in our freshman architecture class.  I was the only African American remaining at the end of my sophomore year and in the entire school of architecture through my fifth year – the only African American remaining in my 1971 graduating class as well.

    Fast forward to 2010:  This time around, I was hoping to meet many more African American grads, who must have followed in my footsteps at OSU in later years.  One young OSU School of Architecture grad I looked forward to seeing I recalled meeting at an AIA convention in the OSU hospitality suite.  Another, my freshman classmate and colleague, who dropped out of school our freshman year but went back to OSU several years later to get his degree was not there either.  I scanned the faces of guests and former students, looking for familiar faces. I did not see any other African Americans except a couple students in a design studio; I was perplexed and emotionally moved with joy and sadness.  I experienced joy to once again see old friends on the campus, who were instrumental in shaping my perspectives and career in architecture and saddened by the stark reality of being the only African American ex-architecture student attending this very special celebration.  From the available evidence I had, it seemed that I was the only African American alum attending the celebrations.

    I quietly asked myself, where are the African American students who graduated from this school of architecture after me?  Was the centennial celebration not as important to them as it was to me?  Did other factors enter into their decisions not to come?  In my mind, this was the once-in-a-life-time opportunity to reconnect with my old classmates; to reunite with those who, in one way or another, sculpted my years at Oklahoma State into a great life-changing transformation from a young inner city day-dreamer into a full-fledged architectural design professional contributing to and shaping America’s built environment.  Three days in Stillwater sparked moments of déjà vu; emotion, exasperation, enlightenment, setbacks, advancements, and above all a reaffirmation of my decision to attend Oklahoma State University and pursue a career in architect.

    A young and energetic forth year architecture student cheerfully singled the tree of us out of the crowd and offered to be our tour guide through the new and improved school of architecture.  The building with its new facilities and facelift was impressive, by any standard.  For a moment, I pictured myself sitting at a table in one of the studios opening my mind up to the various ways architecture might be the instrument to fashion a more creative, stimulating, sustainable and livable built environment for humanity.

    The hospitality, the ceremonial banquet, and campus celebrations at the end of the second day were unforgettable.  It provided a platform for representatives of past years to reminisce and reflect upon the ways the school of architecture had touched and influenced their lives and visa versa.

    But, the diversity of numbers – especially African Americans – that I missed during those three days at OSU School of Architecture is what was missed over 40 years ago when African Americans, few in number but high in aspiration, were beginning to integrate colleges and universities all over the United States.  Back in Milwaukee, I wondered. Where was the evidence that anything had changed at OSU, a bona fide, premier, flag ship School of Architecture in the state of Oklahoma with its stellar reputation and enviable legacy?  I wondered again.  Where was the evidence that anything [of significance] had changed in the twenty first century?

    _______________

    Walter L. Wilson, AIA, NOMA, NCARB is a 1971 graduate of Oklahoma State University’s School of Architecture. He has been a Milwaukee County Architect and registered to practice in Wisconsin and Ohio.

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    Sustainable Design Shoots in the Diaspora at NEOCON Baltimore, 2010

    Posted on October 26, 2010 | No Comments

    Date: Thursday, October 28 Time: 1-2:30 p.m.

    Black Design News Network (BDNN) presents a panel discussion showcasing what some black designers are working on in the diaspora – Africa, Caribbean and the US – from the development of sustainable products, to projects and interventions. It will look at the processes, challenges and issues of developing ecological products in communities of color and in the developing world.

    This session is sponsored by The Black Design News Network, (BDNN) is the premier black design content website and voice of black designers world-wide features four key service components: a news bureau, online publication, digital library and ‘workspace’ hub for designers. It is also sponsored by FocusOnDesign and Designers421

    Speakers:

    • Florine Demonsthene – product designer Chale, Ghana
    • Trudy Miller, Trudy Miller Layers, Eco fashion
    • Aurora Robinson – architectural designer, Green Design Links
    • Atim Annette Oton, ZimaZee Crafts, Nigeria and Co-Founder Black Design News Network, moderator


    Credits: .15 CEU
    Fee: $15; Free to Students
    Level: Intermediate

    Location: The Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W Pratt St Baltimore, Maryland 21201

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  • BDNN Reading List: Our Selected List for Fall 2010

    BDNN Reading List: Our Selected List for Fall 2010

    Posted on October 21, 2010 | No Comments

    Every quarter, Black Design News Network (BDNN) will release a select list of books to read:

    1. Design in a Global Context: Envisioning Postcolonial and Transnational Possibilities by Karen Fiss; http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/desi.2009.25.3.3

    2.  The Inmates Are Running the Asylum – Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How To Restore The Sanity
    by Alan Cooper, Paul Saffo

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  • Haiti--event

    After Catastrophe, Before Design: Rebuilding Haiti after the Earthquake.

    Posted on October 15, 2010 | No Comments

    6:30 Monday October 18th

    at Avery Hall

    Please join the Latin Lab Debate at Columbia University

    Speakers:  Dowoti Desir; Charles Marks, architect; Marc Andre Franche, UNDP Haiti; and Jesse M. Keenan, University of Miami will be speaking at a forum moderated by Clara Irazabal for what should be a robust discussion.

    Details:

    http://www.arch.columbia.edu/event/news-events/events/lecture-series/latin-lab-debate-after-catastrophe-design-rebuilding-haiti-a

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    BDNN presents Marketing and Branding for Fashion Designers

    Posted on October 14, 2010 | 1 Comment

    Black Design News Network (BDNN) presents Marketing and Branding for Fashion Designers at Brooklyn Fashion Week BKstyle!™

    Date: Sunday October 24

    Time: 11am – 1pm

    Where: Studio 964, 964 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY (between Franklin and Classon Avenue)

    Cost: $30 for 2 hour seminar,  Please pay here http://bkfwworkshops.eventbrite.com/

    The goal of this workshop is to provide and suggest out-of the-box marketing, communication and branding ideas to Brooklyn fashion designers and others who are marketing and selling their products. The workshop will also discuss what it takes to do the “leg work” to communicate, market and brand your products and self in a tough economy.

    Speakers:

    TRUE, Artist/Designer, NY: marketing and branding
    Michele Washington, Graphic Designer, NY: marketing and branding
    Kissa Thompson, Fashion Designer, NY: fashion design, marketing her brand, buttafly unlimited
    Javaka Steptoe, Illustrator, NY: illustration and marketing his book
    Manreet Deol, Product Designer, India (via Skype): marketing products

    Moderated by Atim Annette Oton, designer/co-founder, BDNN: the right products, social media and packaging your work

    RSVP: atim@blackdesignnews.com

    Bios of speakers:

    TRUE is an artist / designer / resident of Brooklyn. He is an alum of Sarah Lawrence College and The Cooper Union Art School (where he got his BFA in 1996), and has been described by International Design Magazine as among the world’s “leading design innovators [whose work] offers a glimpse into the future of design.”

    He has taught and / or spoken on art, new media, & design at institutions such as The Cooper Union, The New School / Parsons School of Design, The Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and Sarah Lawrence College, and has exhibited work in museums in the US and abroad. Visit his website at http://www.TRUEart.biz


    Michele Y. Washington is interested in researching the impact of cross-cultural design and users of products, and how designers can best utilize research to more effectively address ethnic communities, as well as the role architecture, urbanism, visual and material culture, and fashion plays in our every day lives. Michele maintains a design consultancy the office of michele washington where she focuses her research on community-based non-profit groups and cultural institutions.  Previously she worked as a designer and art director, for  such publications as The Chicago Tribune; The New York Times; Business Monthly, Essence, and Self. She also teaches in the Graduate Exhibition Design Program at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She has served on the board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), New York chapter, and currently serves on the advisory board of XCD Cross-Cultural Community, and the AIGA Design Journey. Currently she is pursuing a second Master’s at the School of Visual Arts, in Design Criticism.  Michele writes and administers Cultural Boundaries, a blog, http://culturalboundaries.com/wordpress/

    Kissa Thompson is a Brooklyn based designer who runs Buttafly Unlimited and creates an eclectic blend of urban fashion accessories, including a stunning crochet ‘Diva Collection’, as well as line of inspirational t-shirts.

    She is the Founder of ButtaFly Unlimited/Creator of “I Love My Hair” Tees. Kissa Thompson can credit her grandmother for the success of her company.

    Visit her website at www.buttaflyunltd.com

    Javaka Steptoe, an eclectic young artist, designer, and illustrator, is building a national reputation as an outstanding contributor to the genre of children’s literature. His debut work, In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers, earned him the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, a nomination for Outstanding Children’s Literature Work at the 1998 NAACP Image Awards, a finalist ranking for the Bluebonnet Award for Excellence in Children’s Books, and countless other honors. His current book is Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow. A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix is published by Clarion Books. Steptoe earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

    Visit his website at www.javaka.com

    Manreet Deol is an Indian product designer who was educated in India and at Parsons School of Design in the US. Last year, she returned to work in India and has been working on developing new ideas and products based on Indian culture and crafts.

    She writes a blog, http://manreetdeol.blogspot.com/

    Moderator:

    Nigerian-born, U.S. and British educated architectural designer, Atim Annette Oton is a cultural writer/editor/publisher of Calabar Magazine, entrepreneur of Calabar Imports and co-Founder of Black Design News Network. In 2006, she stepped down from her role as the Associate Chair of Product Design at Parsons School of Design to concentrate on a bi-monthly lifestyle publication about black Brooklyn home décor, fashion, culture, and lifestyle, Calabar Magazine and to open ZimaZee, a store in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied architecture at the City College of New York in Harlem under the influential black architect Max Bond (who she later worked for) and has a Masters degree from the Architectural Association Graduate School in London, England. She returned to New York in 1994 to work with the architecture firm, Davis, Brody, Bond Architects and various other firms in New York. In 2000, she was part of the design team that won the African Burial Ground Interpretive Center. She also worked as an executive producer and design consultant on the Underground Railroad Experience, a cultural education website from 2000 – 2004; and won an Independent Grant from the NYSCA on her work, the Black Hair Salon in 2002. In 2002 and 2004, she participated as a designer for the 3rd and 4th Annual Bridge Street Development Corporation’s Bed Stuyvesant Design Showhouses. She has been a consultant to the Bronx Council on the Arts for its Artisan Institute, an innovative idea focused on micro-enterprise for craftspeople in the Bronx.  Oton served as the editor-in-chief and executive vice president for Blacklines Magazine, a quarterly magazine publishing features on black designers in architecture, interior design, construction, development and the arts from 2000-2002 and co-organized Blacklines’ Conference and Design Showcase and exhibitions. Her design work has been published in Architecture Record, Design Build magazine, Design Architecture.com, Oculus and Blacklines magazine and exhibited at the Architectural Association, London, and in New York at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Institute for the Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC), the Bronx Museum of Art and the City College of New York.  She has been profiled in Office.com and Diversity.com for articles on Blacklines Magazine. She has been featured for Calabar Imports on CNN, MSNBC, The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. BCAT’s NeighborhoodBeat and CUNY TV. She is a Board Member of Community Board 8 in Brooklyn, a Vice President and co-Chair of Economic Development Committee, a member of the City College of New York’s Architecture Alumni Group, National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and was a member of the National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC).

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