Red Pill

Project M Detroit - (Part 2) Myths and Realities

The first few days in Detroit were tough on everyone. The unknown of what living and working in the center of Detroit would be like for the next two weeks was looming in the air. Wayne State University and CCS were on summer break when we arrived, adding to the general feeling of desolation. Besides a quick visit to 5e Gallery where many young locals gather for music and art, the night was earily quiet. I expected to hear sirens and thump'in bass, but we mostly only heard crickets and night creatures. It sounded like rural Alabama in the middle of summer.

The first day in the lab at CSS we decided to set out to see the city together. We explored the old Hudson's warehouse which was originally the home of Packard Automobiles until 1956. We ventured into neighborhoods that looked like ghost towns. Littered with crumbling buildings, thugs on some corners but mostly vast swathes of emptiness. We also took in some high culture from Detroit's grand past, we visited the DIA to experience Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry" mural, followed by some Eastern Market Coney Island hot dogs. 

Soon we had the M'er split up to explore separate neighborhoods on their own, gathering anything that contributed to making each place unique. Interviewing locals, taking photos, and gathering artifacts while immersing themselves in the local culture.

One of the M'ers landed a ride to a local Coney Island and a free lunch, while another drank shots of Seagram's and played a game of horseshoes with some thugish fellows. The M'ers each challenged themselves to look past the myths that surrounded Detroit and break through perceived barriers to get to the real core of Detroit. They met many interesting and unique individuals who were mostly warm and inviting, not the expected result. On this breakthrough day, everyone felt empowered, doing something that they wouldn't normally do. 

Riding the high from a productive day the M'ers decided to meet up and go shopping for groceries. Armed with a new confidence they let their guard down and left a couple of backpacks in the back seat of their car. Fifteen minutes later they had a Detroit reality slap them in the face. Their bags where swiped, containing two laptops and a camera which where probably part of the local economy within an hour.

True, this could happen in any city, and yes they shouldn't have left bags sitting out in plain site. But when you have a crime happen to you in Detroit it becomes part of the myth, locals react with comments like, "Welcome to the D!" and "At least they left the car". It's as if there's a grand script titled "the Detroit Myth", and everyone from the media to the locals rich and poor, white and black know their lines.

5e Gallery

Sicari, owner 5e Gallery.

M Lab at CCS

Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry" mural
 

Local from Mexican Town

The Russell Industrial Complex
 

 

The old Hudson's warehouse. Yes that is a bus on the second floor.

Project M Detroit - (Part 1) Two weeks later.

I thought I would be able to post on the Red Pill everyday while I was conducting Project M in Detroit, not even close, I didn't get a single posting in! From the second I set foot in my hometown I was over run with responsibility and the pain of transitioning away from clients. I left Detroit ten years ago, and though I've returned many times the city seemed completely new to me this trip. Maybe it's because we were based in Corktown, or the fact that we explored many places that I had never visited while growing up here. Mostly I think it was because the city itself seemed deserted, many parts completely void of people.  

Since I have thousands of photos and many stories I'm going to break this up into as many postings as it takes to tell our story.

So here it is...

The first thing we did as a group was meet up at Slows BBQ, famous in Detroit not only for the best BBQ but also for the simple fact that they chose Corktown as their home. Void of businesses and people, Slows relies on a steady stream of clients from the burbs, with some locals mixed in. The fence around back is made from repurposed wood from an abandoned home. Owner Phil Cooley is regarded as a Saint by most of the locals we talked to, donating time, and money to the community, plus some spectacular Q. Besides a few Irish bars in the vicinity, Slows is pretty much alone on the former strip that catered to the old Tiger Stadium. I'm puzzled as to why there aren't more businesses riding the success of Slows, filling up the vacancies surrounding their little oasis.

Next we went to our new home base at 1414 Bagley where we accidently set off the house alarm. Police promptly arrived at the front door, along with the owner's brother and a few neighbors. Our street felt unsafe until this very moment, when we experienced a true community that looked out for one another, watching each others backs. Corktown is an oasis with a post apocalyptic back drop, empty streets and crumbling buildings in every direction. After a second visit from the police and a call from the owner, Project M was fully moved in and we knew immediately that this was going to be a life experience that will never be forgotten. Much more to come...

Project M Detroit Blog

Metropolis Article

Welcome to Corktown..

Final remains of the old Tiger stadium.

 

 

The abandoned Train Depot looming over Corktown.

 

View down Michigan Ave.

Slows BBQ

Doug, Jory, Achille, Mark, Jen and Jasen. Project M (Midwest)

Who says Detroit doesn't have good neighborhoods?

Next week I will be moving into Detroit's Corktown neighborhood with four students from Project M. We wanted to stay in a neighborhood in the city vs. the suburbs to really get a sense of what the city is all about. What I find amazing is most people I have talked to from Detroit said there were no neighborhoods to stay in. The big misconception is Detroit has no functioning neighborhoods. I guess we will find out next week, stay tuned..

Detroit has cheap houses, acres of green space, and a strong artist community. Thats a start...

I will be entering the city of Detroit with Project M at the end of August, and the first thing we are sure to notice is the overwhelming number of abandoned homes. At it's post WWII peak Detroit was the fourth largest city in the country with 1.8 million residents. Today it has roughly 900,000 residents, nearly 1 million people have abandoned the city, mostly for the suburbs.

Is there a silver lining in all this misery? Can we find some opportunity in this situation? The average price of a house in Detroit is $16,000.00 less than most cars cost. There is also endless amounts of green space in Detroit due to the demolition of thousands of house over the last twenty years.

There are many small grassroots organizations finding creative solutions to some of the tough challenges facing the city. Recently a handful of these organizations have gained national attention and will hopefully materialize into a full blown movement. These organizations are part of the reason we are bringing Project M to Detroit.

Some of these organizations include:

Powerhouse Project which was started by artists Gina Reichert and Mitch Cope in March of 2008. They began by purchasing a house and two plots of land for $4,900.00. They kept their house off the grid by adding solar heat and power in addition to fixing it up and painting it very creatively. They are now trying to get other artists to join them in there new neigborhood.

Object Orange was also started by artists, for different reasons though. They wanted to call attention to delapitated houses that needed to be bulldozed. By painting these houses "Triggerific Orange" they call attention to these abandoned homes in the hopes that the city will demolish them.

100 Abandoned houses website showes phot of 100 abandoned homes, it not only spread awarness and puts the issue into prospective but it also has liks to buy some of these homes.

We obviously have some major challenges facing us as we try to jump in and become part of the possative change that may or may or may not come to Detroit. Many of us that will be part of Project M Detroit are originally from this once great city. We can't ignore the enormous oppurtunities that exist in this current environment. And we can't help but hope that Detroit will be reborn like cities a century ago that were destryed by fires and earthquakes emerging fromthe ruble to become great again.

Project M is Coming to Detroit

Jeff has been an advisor at Project M for a couple of years now and will be leading a Project M in Detroit Michigan this fall — August 26th through September 11th. John Bielenberg will be checking in with us, as well as Doug Kisor, other CCS faculty and advisors.

If you are interested in joining us as a participant, download an application. Applications are due by July 31st, 2009.

If you are interested in joining us as an advisor or would like more information about Project M, visit our website or send us an email.

ALERT! Project M is trying to save a little town in Alabama.

The worst ecological disaster in U.S. history happened seemingly without anyone noticing this past December. 3 million tons of coal ash accidentally spilled in Tennessee devastated the surrounding area, it was 100 times worse than the Exxon-Valdez disaster, and it will cost a billion of dollars to clean up. The worst part is the ash will be transported to Uniontown, Alabama, one of America's poorest communities in the United States to sit in landfills. This is a disturbing trend, placing landfills and toxic materials disproportionally near poorer communities. Project M is trying to raise awareness through a website that was conceived during this past summer session in Hale County Alabama.

Please help, send this link to everyone you know: www.ashholes.org

 

Project M 09 - Power to the designer

I’ve just returned from my third year in Hale County Alabama as a advisor at Project M. The brainchild of John Bielenberg, Project M is a global design movement that promotes positive change. This year eleven young designers were hand selected by Mr. Bielenberg and are currently spending an entire month in Greensboro Alabama. They share a small house with single bedroom. Being the middle of summer temperatures easily hit 100+ degrees daily with little relief at night.

Creative professionals visit throughout the month to serve as advisors, they help guide and inspire the young designers in their quest to create a project that will ultimately benefit the greater good.

In the past, Project M has spawned urban gardens, helped save rain forests, and brought water to poor rural families. Last year a permanent design lab was established in Greensboro with rotating designers. This led to “PieLab”, a neutral place for locals and designers to connect and discuss issues that might lead to potential projects, while enjoying a slice of pie.

Project M was inspired by the late Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studios which is also centered in Greensboro, AL. Part of the architecture program at Auburn University, the Rural Studios creates housing that's not only affordable for the rural poor but it's also modern, world class architecture. 

Each time I participate in Project M, I come away with a renewed sense of the power design can have on all of us. The same power that motivates us to consume objects, eat fast food, and watch bad TV, can also be harnessed to change a life, improve a town, or possibly save the world. Yes, It’s that inspiring!

{More Photos}

Downtown Greensboro, AL

M/PieLab

 

Greensboro Opera house tour

 

 

{More Photos}

WorldFirst Race Car

The WorldFirst race car utilizes many green technologies, including a steering wheel derived from carrots and other root vegetables, a foam racing seat that uses flax fiber and soybean oil, a bib made from flax fiber, lubricants based on plant oils, panels made of glass fibre and resin from glass bottles, and an "emission-destroying catalyst." They are even developing brake pads made from cashew nut shells.

The vehicle runs on green materials: it boasts a biodiesel engine that has been designed to take fuel that's made using waste chocolate and vegetable oil.

Why did they build it?

"Following the recent turmoil in Formula 1 arising from the high costs of running competitive motor racing teams, and doubts in sponsors minds over the commercial value of their involvement, the viability of motor racing is being critically questioned.

With this in mind the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC), part of Warwick University, are seeking to prove to the motor industry that it is possible to build a competitive racing car using environmentally sustainable components."

The question on my mind is if it will actually compete and if this will be a one off or will this change racing forever. I guess we'll find out.

Is it time to kill "Green"?

Our current decade will go down in history for many things including 911, Iraq war part deux, the world financial meltdown, and most of all the decade of "green". One of the only bright spots in the last 9ish years has been the paradigm shift in the way we view our earth. Maybe this is directly related to Al Gore's film the Inconvenient truth, or the internet that he invented, but it seems suddenly we are all informed environmentalists. Over night our collective conscious has gone from skeptical hippie haters to hardened treehuggers. Think about it, we now have, carbon footprints we drive hybrid cars, we drink organic Milk and eat sustainable free range chicken. We even have a new friend named the Environment.

This is obviously a good thing, maybe not for the free range chicken, but for the Earth it's been a good step in the right direction.

That said, I have a hormon free beef with the whole green movement. It's the abuse of that little word that once  was reserved for describing things like grass and sick people. The word we use to describe everything and anything associated with not fucking up our planet.

yes GREEN!

It's everywhere!

No one can escape it these days, green cars, green soap, green wine, green diapers, and so on... It's been the most abused word since "Lite" or "Clear". It's been abused by Politicians who have Green initiatives, like greening the Streets with new sustainable stormwater drains". Corporations slap it on every new product, falsely labeling them as if they are better for the Earth. A plastic container of windex can end up in the same landfill as a plastic container of simple green and they will equally take 700 years to decompose.

Hunters are even jumping on the Greenwagon, they now have the option of killing animals with environmetally friendly "Green" bullets that are lead free.

My point is that using "Green" as a descriptor for anything that is remotely perceived to be good for our Earth needs to stop. "Green" is diluted and misleading, It not only gives a false sense of doing something positive but it has no definitive boundaries when describing something. A company can call a product "green" when it truly isn't and there won't be any repercussions. At least with "organic" which is equally tossed around these days there are guidelines that must be followed. I'm not saying we should regulate the label, mostly because that would be next to impossible. What I am saying is we need to start using new terms for "real" environmental progress and products. I believe that the people battling to save our planet from the same fate as Mars with real progressive thinking and real policies need to coin these new terms. The new terms need to be powerful enough that they can't be easily lifted by marketing executives trying to get a bonuses or politicians trying to get elected.

So on this Earth day I propose we toss out the term "Green" and create new "Earth friendly" terms to.... "Earth Friendly"? Hmm, I think I'm on to something..

 

Ample Sample 2008 Call for Entries

Ample Sample is challenging you to design something useful and beautiful with upcycled carpet. The finalists and winning designs are showcased at NeoCon and are featured on the website with blueprints and instructions. The deadline is May 8th - so get your thinking caps on.

Here are a few of my favorite submissions from this year.

and from 2007