Episode Eight // Dear Kanye West... and Yeezy Homes; and Gatekeeping
“I really do believe that the world can be saved through design, and everything needs to actually be “architected”
- K. West speaking at Harvard University, 2013
West, being highly successful in the industry, is either liked or disliked by the public. Even though he has broken many boundaries by his ‘visions’, it begs the question: are we gatekeeping? Or are we sighing in envy towards how he has managed to establish himself skilfully in the industry? Not to mention, West is not the first celebrity who has involved himself with architecture - looking back at Brad Pitt’s ‘Make it Right Foundation’, it draws some parallels to Kanye’s first architecture prototypes.
In some ways, architecture it seems has been highly glorified and romanticised despite the consequences it possesses. In this episode, Bella and I discuss our opinions towards the glorification of architecture and our impressions of Kanye’s involvement in architecture.
Kindly please note
We are solely discussing Kanye’s involvement with architecture. There may be small discussions about his other design ventures; however, we are going to keep the detouring to a minimum. We also understand that there have been other celebrities who have been involved in similar projects. As we acknowledge that the discussion is rather broad, we are solely examining the pop-culture figures who have committed themselves architecture.
Notes:
Dezeen Magazine - Tags on Kanye West related articles. https://www.dezeen.com/tag/kanye-west/
Cogley, Bridget. ‘Kanye West’s dome-shaped housing prototypes are demolished’, Dezeen Magazine. Posted 16 September, 2009. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/16/kanye-west-dome-shaped-housing-demolished/
Howarth, Don. ‘‘The world can be saved through design.’ says Kanye West’, Dezeen Magazine. Posted 19 November 2013. https://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/19/the-world-can-be-saved-through-design-says-kanye-west-at-harvard-graduate-school-of-design/
O’Malley Greenburg, Zack. ‘Kanye’s Second Coming: Inside The Billion-Dollar Yeezy Empire’, Forbes Magazine. Published 31 August, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/07/09/kanyes-second-coming-inside-the-billion-dollar-yeezy-empire/#3c3dc81a5ec3
Menza, Kaitlin. ‘Where Did Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation Go Wrong?’, Architectural Digest. Posted 18 January, 2019. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/brad-pitt-make-it-right-foundation-new-orleans-katrina-lawsuit?fbclid=IwAR1Rj_v24vUWNbdjjc5o6BxIbUF0eTCMiNegoKF8CA2zp3hb4aKSTUCB_9g
Bendix, Aria. ‘Brad Pitt’s post-Katrina housing project is under fire after homes started rotting and collapsing,. Here’s everything that’s gone wrong.’, Business Insider. Posted 5 May, 2019. https://www.businessinsider.com.au/brad-pitt-katrina-make-it-right-2019-5?r=US&IR=T&fbclid=IwAR1hUyIjlhY6nvawtJi6TZa0-rNPAONuEdqXvT85RPWyHZp7yt-T5AOoi94
Music: Uniq - Bloom https://soundcloud.com/uniqofficial
About Isabella Alvarado
Isabella Alvarado is a recent Graduate of Architecture from Monash University, she's currently working at a medium sized firm and much like other graduates is excited to gain experience in a variety of fields. Her interests in architecture are practicing honest and authentic experiences, she enjoys drawing and reading and loves to thrift for second hand and vintage items. Isabella hopes to do more projects advocating for a more DIY ethos and community based attitude.
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