Storytelling in the built environment has been the rocket fuel of my career from the start. And I've long believed that Story is what makes a Space a Place.
Pop-Up Book
Lines and volumes Don Draper would approve. I'm inspired by my friends who renovated their new mid-century home in Ladera Heights with a great eye and such meticulous care. Here's to hoping I can do the same one day • Mike Brown © 2019 • Apple iPhone Xs • ISO 64 4.25mm f/1.8 1/120 sec.
Spellbound
• Mike Brown © 2019 • Apple iPhone Xs • ISO 25 4.25mm f/1.8 1/140 sec.
Warp Speed
Zaha rewrote the book on space. You feel it from the moment you step inside one of her firm's works. The new Wirtschaftsuniversität strikes you with a sensational feeling of moving at the speed of light • Mike Brown © 2019 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 4000 16mm F/4.0 1/1600 sec.
Rabbit Hole
Illusions of space spark relentless wonder and delight. I've been a fan of Iván Navarro's work for years, and each time I approach one in real life I'm struck by the elegant simplicity and riotous fun he creates with so little • Mike Brown © 2016 • Apple iPhone 6 • ISO 80 4.15mm f/2.2 1/30 sec.
The Mist
I lived in Brooklyn for 4 months. A sensational walk-up on Columbia Heights with a sensational view. There was a storm in late March ’18 that wiped Manhattan off the map for a few hours • Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 2 • Mike Brown © 2018 • Apple iPhone 8 • ISO 64 3.99mm f/1.8 1/15 sec.
Priceless
• Mike Brown © 2018 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 2000 16mm F/4.0 1/60 sec.
Legendary
Los Angeles 2019. An homage to Syd Mead. This place feels like a legendary time warp on top of being so richly lauded in architecture and film. My first visit was as jaw-dropping as I would have hoped and more • Mike Brown © 2019 • Apple iPhone Xs • ISO 50 4.25mm f/1.8 1/120 sec.
Serenity
Heroes aren't celebrated enough in modern times. I share my birthday with Richard Serra. Every time I walk through one of his spaces, my breath deepens, my body calms, and my spirit lifts higher than before • Mike Brown © 2016 • Apple iPhone 6 • ISO 40 4.15mm f/2.2 1/60 sec.
It's Not Easy Being Green
The Row Downtown LA. We need to re-imagine the built environment with nature in mind if we remotely hope to save life on our planet as we know it. I love this juxtaposition. Let's do more of it. • Mike Brown © 2019 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 100 16mm F/9.0 1/160 sec.
25 Years
I was mesmerized by Otto Wagner's Postal Savings Bank in college art history classes. It took some time to get there, but the jaw-dropping euphoria I felt when I stepped inside was well worth the wait • Mike Brown © 2018 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 500 21mm F/4.0 1/400 sec.
Say Cheese
Thomas Heatherwick has an uncanny ability to make space feel organic and alive. His new Zeitz Mocaa Museum in Cape Town is a remarkable study of natural forms translated into metal and concrete • Mike Brown © 2019 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 2500 16mm F/4.0 1/160 sec.
Potted
If we're fortunate, Mother Nature will regain a foothold on the built environment. Contradictions aside, there is something magical to be seen as you walk around the IAC building on Sunset • Mike Brown © 2019 • Sony A7rii FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS • ISO 100 16mm F/13 1/100 sec.