Brandon Clifford will present a lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, in Ken and Linda Sue Shollmier Hall, Room 250 of Vol Walker Hall, on the University of Arkansas campus, as part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design lecture series.

Clifford is the director and co-founder of Matter Design, an interdisciplinary design lab in Boston. He is also an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Planning in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also the John G. Williams Distinguished Visiting Professor in Architecture this semester in the Fay Jones School.

In his lecture, “Material and Myths,” Clifford will discuss the mystery and speculation surrounding the megalithic constructions of the past. Behind these mysteries are alternative ways of thinking that compound cultural significance, ceremony and mythology with technical and methodological procedures that have the potential to resolve contemporary problems. 

Through a series of built works, Clifford leverages the latent potential of abandoned knowledge to demonstrate new futures for design and construction. This could be learning from primordial giants about how to recycle demolition debris, or reincarnating massive walking statues to reconsider how to design for transportation and assembly.

During the lecture, Clifford will expand upon how this adventure into abandoned knowledge has redirected his career in architecture to engage extra-disciplinary topics such as play, theatricality, character development and mythology.

Clifford received his Master of Architecture from Princeton University and his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology. He was the LeFevre Fellow at The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture.

He has received the American Academy in Rome Prize, a TED Fellowship, the SOM Prize, the Design Biennial Boston Award and the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and Designers.

Clifford is dedicated to re-imagining the role of the architect. His speculative work continues to provoke new directions for design in the digital era. 

His work at Matter Design is focused on advancing architectural research through spectacle and mysticism. He creates new ideas by critically evaluating ancient ways of thinking and experimenting with their value today. This work ranges from an award-winning play structure for children to a colossal system of construction elements that can be guided into place with ease. He is best known for bringing megalithic sculptures to life to perform tasks.

His most recent authored work, The Cannibal’s Cookbook, demonstrates his dedication to bringing ancient knowledge into contemporary practice with theatrical captivation.

This lecture has been approved for continuing education credits through the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free, with limited seating.

For more information, contact 479-575-4704 or fayjones.uark.edu.