born: libertyville, illinois, usa

education:

• bachelor of architecture, kansas state university, 1999.

In societies dominated by modern conditions of production, life is presented as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has receded into representation. Guy Debord. “The Society of the Spectacle”

Scott Gustafson is an urbanist, professionally trained in architecture. His passion is the phenomenological qualities of architecture and as such, he enjoys designing buildings which engage all the body’s senses. It is in this way that he believes that architecture can truly enhance our quality of life.

Urbanism is usually defined as the study of the physical needs of urban societies, but this limiting focus on the purely constructed aspects of cities negates the social, cultural, spiritual and personal facets of life which are amplified in situations of density. The city is an artifact that collects the memory of lives, and the urban realm is a social phenomenon more than a physical condition. This interest in experience and sensations forms the backbone of his approach to photography and also graphic design. Impressions of the city, exposed over the duration of time, coalesce moments into a single image that maintains a familiarity of subject without being representational. Photography, literally writing with light, is a means to capture and express a personal encounter with places, people and situations.

Scott Gustafson is an accomplished DJ, performing under the name Emmfour. He is the founding member and director of the International College of Architects and Urbanists, an organization dedicated to the study of architecture and urbanism, seeking to foster and exchange of ideas and share this knowledge with the community at large. His other cultural and professional affilitations include AZSessions.com, The Urban Pioneer Project and the International Society of Mad Scientists.