Among the cacophony of zeitgeist triumphs (or, depending on how you look at them, downfalls) that 2013 witnessed, art and design merging with pop culture will be one of them. Jay Z did that six-hour "Picasso Baby" performance piece, Lady Gaga went all reverse Warholian on us with
ARTPOP, and Kanye West began spreading the good word of DONDA.
DONDA, if you're not familiar, is West's company that employs lawyers, architects, musicians, doctors, and fashion, product and car designers — all united "to dream of, create, advertise, and produce products driven equally by emotional want and utilitarian need. To marry our wants and needs." How...aspirational of him. Anyway, the project lay relatively dormant since its 2012 inception, but is now in full swing, thanks to West's Yeezus tour.
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According to Archinect, West purchased 300 tickets to his own show at Harvard for the university's design grad students. He then, after perusing the student's studio and work, felt inspired enough to stand on a desk and give an impromptu speech. In between boosting his own ego, he rattled off a list of beliefs. "I really do believe that the world can be saved through design, and everything needs to actually be architected," he said. "I believe that utopia is actually possible, but we're led by the least noble, the least dignified, the least tasteful, the dumbest, and the most political."
Apparently, West will be giving various DONDA lectures throughout the course of his tour. So, there's that. You've got to hand it to him, though; when Kanye commits, he really commits.
Photo: via @kimkardashian.