CANCELED: Hood Century

Google “Black Modernism” or “Modernism in Black America” and see what you come up with. Click images—videos, too—and you’ll find that there is no representation of Black spaces. The designs of the garage doors in West Dayton, the wood finishing choices in Collier Heights.

It’s a language thing. Black and brown folks are often disconnected from preservation because values in communities of color are assigned by external forces. Hood Century is new to the media landscape and intent on tackling the issues surrounding Black and brown folks’ everyday living. Hood Century is interested in the quotidian happenings in and around architectural jewels.

Hood Century is one of the Internet’s first deep looks at the relationship between architecture, built space, and Black popular culture. Frustrated by circular conversations about gentrification with no clear solutions offered, Hood Century founder Coop realized that many people in his community didn’t know the architectural significance of the buildings around them. With solution-oriented strategies, Hood Century utilizes current and archival pop culture trends that reflect the interests and vocabulary of their audience. The outfit is bringing its active survey practice to BAMPFA’s Black Life series this winter with a walking and talking tour. Hood Century’s ongoing new media research is done in the hope of creating a guide to a multidimensional realization of where you are, along with accessible language to name it.