US – The Obsidian Experience is a new virtual interior design concept set in Oakland in the year 2025, reflecting a future vision for domestic settings among Black communities.
Its design, by members of the Black Artists and Designers Guild (BADG), is a large-scale collaborative effort envisioning a creative expression of Black family life. Each participant in the project has contributed a room or design element to the house, with its purpose informed by the mental, physical and spiritual needs of Black families. Alongside futuristic meditation areas, dedicated spaces for hair styling and various outdoor areas, a Legacy Wall showcases the family’s ancestral history, visible from multiple locations across the house.
‘When Black people dream what do they dream about? This critical question has directed the programming, layout and detailing of every aspect of the house,’ comments Leyden Lewis and Nina Cooke, architectural designers for the Obsidian Experience.
As our lived environments face transformation and redefinition, the Obsidian Experience represents a form of design that embraces the future-thinking that is key to more autonomous, Equilibrium Cities.