Architecture Works

This lecture presented work from Black City Editions, an ongoing design-research project by J. Yolande Daniels that investigates the spatial logics of racial segregation and power in American cities and across the African diaspora. Each “edition” of the Black City examines a specific urban context through a matrix—a space-time framework that maps the interrelationship between laws, architecture, territory, and lived experience. Through this framework, Daniels reveals how systems of control are encoded in the built environment—and how architecture can also serve as a site of resistance and reimagining.

The talk traced the evolution of the project across multiple cities and histories, culminating in her most recent work featured at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale (2023). This edition examined the tensions between colonial domination and emancipatory struggle, using narrative, spatial archeology, and human-centered storytelling to reframe how Black urban life is represented in architectural discourse. Through archival mappings and speculative reconstructions, Daniels demonstrated how the matrix enables both retrospective critique and visionary projections of alternative futures.

BIO

J. Yolande Daniels is an Associate Professor of Architecture at MIT and co-founding design principal of studioSUMO, a New York–based practice recognized internationally for its experimental and research-driven work. Her independent practice explores the spatial impacts of race, gender, and power, using design as a method to surface suppressed histories and cultural narratives. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Architecture, and a fellow of the Whitney Independent Study Program. Daniels holds an M.Arch. from Columbia University and a B.S. in Architecture from City College of New York. Through installations, buildings, and critical cartographies, her work transforms erased histories into immersive spatial environments that confront and reframe social inequities in architecture and urbanism.