Ice Cube & Charles Eames Revel in L.A. Architecture

Here’s a little known fact about the rapper and actor Ice Cube. During his younger days, before he became a star, Mr. Cube studied architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology in Arizona, where he gained an appreciation for the way architects, like rappers, can take existing materials and work them into entirely new creations. Yes, architects can do mashups, too. And perhaps no one did them better than the husband-and-wife design duo, Charles and Ray Eames, who built the Eames House, a landmark of modern architecture, in 1949.

In a video promoting a collaborative exhibit, “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980,” Ice Cube drives the streets of L.A. and explains his admiration for the Eames House and other Los Angeles landmarks. Meanwhile below, you’ll find some vintage footage that captures Charles Eames (1907-1978), driving around the city, giving his own analysis of the hodge-podge architectural styles that define Los Angeles.

via The New York Times and Curiosity Counts