Design
The Universal Hip Hop Museum and 'Design Justice'
As work on the museum progresses, its architects and designers must find ways to work a raucous history into a very staid building.
The Universal Hip Hop Museum, which we’ve been following closely since plans for it were announced, now has an architect and a few art collections nailed down. But it’s still waiting for a proper edifice.
The way the museum plans are unfolding, its founders hope to give it a home in the Bronx—the birthplace of hip hop. But it will also live in other formats, including ones that can travel. The UHHM team is looking to secure the Old Bronx County Courthouse for the museum’s physical home. However, the “Hip Hop Architect” Mike Ford is also exploring mobile manifestations of the museum—including converting an 18-wheeler truck so that it can unfold into a traveling exhibit, like a hip hop Optimus Prime.