Artist X. As part of this blog’s ongoing mission to raise the level of design discourse, rogueHAA has created a new series of posts entitled, “Artist X”.  This series will highlight local artists, showcasing unique and innovative projects found within the city.  By presenting multiple creative disciplines, we hope to build community relationships, spark Detroit specific design dialogue, encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration, and ultimately, strengthen the existing Detroit creative class.

Brian DuBois is currently the owner of 2:37am studios, a multi-disciplinary studio that he started in 1999. His shop focuses on design/build/models that range in small to medium scaled projects. His belief within his shop is that you should understand the materials, details, and production techniques before you design, which in the end will help the design process and overall construction budget.

He was born and raised in River Rouge, Michigan (a small factory town near southwest Detroit) and received his 5-year B.A. Arch. from the University of Detroit Mercy.  Currently, he is working towards his M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Arts, focusing on furniture/product design.  He has worked in a variety of trades that range from carpentry, electrical, roofing, managing the architecture woodshop at UDM, and auto show/retail exhibition designs.

In 2006, Brian ventured beyond the typical architectural products by creating his :2:37am: clothing line.  With his clothing line, he showcases the industrial aspects of the Detroit metropolitan region while collaborating with local and international talent.

Describe your work in three sentences.

I like to keep items clean and simple, to a point where the details are the main features of the work. Utilizing basic materials, but exploring different avenues of construction, would be the key point in any project. We can all draw, but in the end, it has to be built and certain moments, forces, and techniques have to be understood.

How do you collaborate with other Detroit artists?

I tend to team up with folks that have complimentary skill sets. There is no point in having everyone at the table with the same skill set and trying to move ahead. I have no problem in bringing on a person that is serious about their work and that I can learn from. It’s really about building a strong team on a per project basis and utilizing skill sets that are effective the first time around.

What other creative disciplines would you like to work with in the future?

Along with fashion and furniture, I have been looking into the exhibit industry. For me, these industries tend to have a more efficient design approach that quickly places items into a market.  If I want to make a furniture or fashion piece, the design and construction process might take me a few days, but then I have the option of selling it or giving it away.   The exhibit industry takes a little bit longer due to coordination, clients, etc but results in a buildable product.  I would still like to work in the architecture industry, but I have learned over the years that it’s good to diversify yourself.

Why Detroit?  Has the city (people, place, economy, etc) influenced your work? Please give at least one specific example.

Detroit has made me look at the city as a place of opportunity. The city has resources to make practically anything, but ironically, items are still not bought or fabricated locally.  There are foundries to cast metals, shops to mill/cut/weld, factories to stamp out designs, shop owners willing to talk to you and give you a tour of their production facilities.  Over the years, I have visited these shops in order to better understand fabrication methods and incorporate that knowledge into my design process.

How can the artistic community help regenerate Detroit?

The architectural design community is instrumental in the restructuring of Detroit neighborhoods. You cannot paint a mural if there is no wall, you cannot gather folks if there is no space, and you cannot move ahead if there isn’t a realistic vision.  Most importantly, the idea is to start small and let it grow. Take care of your neighborhood and keep a positive energy in your day to day activities.

If you could design one thing for Detroit, what would that be?

If I could design one thing for Detroit, it would be to design a process that empowers residents, allowing individuals to facilitate physical changes within their own communities.  The architectural design community can build and build, but in the end it’s about the families that have been dealing with the multi-generational downfall of Detroit. This current mindset has to change and the smaller sectors have to be re-energized.

Contact:

www.237amstudios.com for design, build, and models contact information.

www.237am.com for clothing and features contact information.