Douglas Donald Michels known as Doug Michels (b. 06–29–1943, Seattle, Washington - d. 06–12–2003, near Sydney, Australia) was an American architect, artist, and designer, co-founder of the collective Ant Farm.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Born in Seattle, Michels studied at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and at Oxford University in England before graduating with a degree in architecture from Yale University in 1967. Michels also studied architecture at Harvard.
Michels met Chip Lord in 1968, when Michels gave a guest lecture at Tulane University, where Lord was attending school. The two met again in August 1968 at an architecture workshop directed by Lawrence Halprin in San Francisco. It was at this workshop where Michels and Lord founded Ant Farm.[9]
The group's initial goal was to reform education, but with little funding, Michels and Lord relocated to Houston, Texas, where they both became visiting professors at the University of Houston. It was in Houston where the group first began putting on performances, including their "inflatables." Eventually, Lord and Michels were joined by Hudson Marquez and Curtis Schreier.
The group was a self-described "art agency that promotes ideas that have no commercial potential, but which we think are important vehicles of cultural introspection." In addition to their architecture works, the collective was well known for their counter-cultural performances and media events, such as Media Burn. Ant Farm's installation, Cadillac Ranch, remains an iconic sculpture in American popular culture.[10]
In 1972, Michels and Lord collaborated with Houston architect Richard Jost on the House Of The Century, a futuristic concept of a home.[11]
Ant Farm disbanded in 1978 when a fire destroyed their San Francisco studio.
In 1979, Michels presented the Teleport media room in Houston, an artwork created with Richard Jost and Alex Morphett, that consisted of futuristic communications devices, foreshadowing many telecom innovations now commonplace.[12] [13]
Doug Michels proposed and designed the unbuilt statue The Spirit of Houston.
Michels worked extensively on plans for Bluestar, a space station to be co-occupied by both humans and dolphins.
Michels operated an art and design studio in Washington, D.C from 1986 to 1999.
Michels died while climbing to a whale observation point in Eden Bay, Australia.[14]