Michael Chen will present projects by MKCA studio that embrace community-engagement, advocacy and academic research.
The lecture will frame design and architecture as vehicles for or expressions of cultural values, and the role of identity in design and fabrication processes. Queerness and “queering” will be introduced as catalysts of disruption and incitement to “play”. Tensions of identity pertaining to client and professional relationships will be presented as impetus for “code switching”, which in turn may show up in design work as disciplinary slippage, multivalency, or genre-bending.
Michael Chen will present work by MKCA studio, community-engaged projects with Design Advocates, and academic research. Topics of identity, equity and representation will be discussed as relating to the work and the creative processes behind the work. Images will be analyzed as expressions of the studio’s values (and those of its clients), as well as expressions of identity and personal experience. Queerness as a disruptive device may be posited as a creative stimulus.
The lecture will be especially useful to the City Tech student body, who seek to find success in the field of architecture, and many of whom come from communities not well-represented in the field. Michael Chen represents an excellent example of successfully navigating disparate professional spheres while working in a manner that authentically reflects one’s values. Queerness in architecture is an important topic, and this lecture constitutes meaningful representation which will especially benefit queer-identifying students.
Speaker: Michael K Chen (MKCA)
Moderator: Will Fryer (Parsons School of Design, Will Fryer Interior Design)
Location: Voorhees Hall 2nd Floor Lounge
1.5 AIA Learning Units