Suburban Expression: The influence of Modern Architecture on Origins of a New Artistic Medium Part 1 Dissertation 2022 Alexander Maciej Swienton Coventry University | UK The creation of Hip Hop in the Modernist environment, figuratively let "the sun come out" for citizens of New York in the 1970’s. The new culture originated in the communal and commodified spaces as a reaction to displacement and fragmentation caused by Robert Moses and New York City Housing Authorities. Consequently, its representatives wanted to resist the dominant system of oppression and inequality in a full-fledged artistic and creative expression. This dissertation aims to investigate criteria of Modern Architecture that influenced the origins of Hip Hop community, thus creating a new artistic medium in the period of 1960s – 1980s. Thorough analysis and interpretation of multiple scopes of raw, visual, and semantic data established five criteria for creative expression in underprivileged neighbourhoods. These criteria 1) Density & Proximity; 2) Connectivity; 3) Commodified Space 4) Network – Cluster; 5) Lack of Local Identification were subsequently explored in Paris, London and Katowice to emphasise their universality in different regions. Hip Hop defines the past and contributes to the present. Its resistance towards oppressions caused by NYCHA schemes allowed for the appreciation of sublimity over beauty. Expression of culture and identity relates to the former and raises a question about the fulfilment of utopian visions. Tutor(s) Tulika Gadakari Giovanna Piga