Special Instructions hosted by Ella Hussle
Thursday, December 11, 6:30-8:30pm
Special Instructions is an archival project exploring the intersections of music, memory, and preservation. Inspired by an inherited cd collection from her late father, which host, DJ and librarian then expanded into the art of archiving, the craft of librarianship and collecting books. Special Instructions gives a platform for nostalgia but with a twist. The listening sessions are a combinations of all of these under one umbrella: Sound, memory, and literature. For the next session, join us as we take a closer listen to Fiona Apple's Tidal.
Pina Magazine Issue #2 Launch
Saturday, December 6, 2-4pm
Pina Magazine, a new exhibition space in the form of a magazine in‑print, is back in NYC for the launch of Issue #2! Join us for a conversation with Founder and Editor Catalina Imizcoz and writer Elvia Wilk who will discuss cover artists Forensic Architecture and Edgar Calel and the world-building premise of the magazine's flat exhibition space.
FIELD LOG Book Launch
Wednesay, November 12, 6-8pm
Join us on November 12th for the publication launch of FIELD LOG, a chronicle of Latin American artisans — a reimagined directory where craft meets contemporary design. Meet the maker of the book, Annick Saralegui who will speak briefly about the creative process behind the book, and will showcase select material samples directly from the artisans featured in FIELD LOG.
Head HiFi presents:
Sala Sessions with Toribio & All Things Ada
Sunday, November 9, 4:30-7:30pm
If you are looking for a place where you can put the phone down and open up to the music, the intentionally brewed herbal tea, the aromatics from hand made incense, and the energy exchange with like minded people in a room that feels and sounds good, then this is for you!
Created by partners Toribio (musician/producer/DJ) and Ada Rojas (herbalist and reiki practitioner), Sala Sessions is a multi-sensory deep listening experience rooted in their at-home grounding ritual. Each session expands this intimate practice into a collective experience, where curated music, custom herbal tea blends, and ritual incense create space for meditative presence and connection.
Head Hi in the City
October 3 - November 1
The Head Hi in the City Archtober pop up shop and program space at Center for Architecture spotlights recently released architecture publications selected to celebrate the festival theme of Shared Spaces and a commitment to deepening our relationships with the places we inhabit.
Featuring books and design objects for sale, including as well as weekly events including book launches, talks, and the New York Architecture & Design Book Club gathering, Head Hi in the City is an extension of Head Hi, New York’s premiere architecture and design-focused bookstore and cultural organization bridging architecture, design, and art via projects, reading materials, and public programming.
See program schedule via link below and join us for book launches and celebrations throughout the month.
New York Architecture + Design Book Club
October 21, 6-8pm, Manhattan
The New York Architecture + Design Book Club, organized by Head Hi and the design journal Untapped, is a lively public program and book subscription series that explores remarkable new titles in the field. The books’ authors, contributors and industry experts lead a discussion at each quarterly gathering, which seeks to build deeper connections between people, ideas, and the world in which we live.
The second title for the 2025 New York Architecture + Design Book Club subscription and quarterly event series is Bruno Munari: Design and Visual Communication (Inventory Press). A long-overdue English translation of Munari's seminal tract on the everyday value of architecture and design education, Design and Visual Communication (1968) fills a gap in Munari's output for the English-speaking world and provides a highly relevant guide to bridging architecture and design education and everyday life.
For the event, we'll have translator Jeffrey Schnapp and designer Nontsikelelo Mutiti in conversation.
Architecture + Design Film Festival
Ocotober 14-18, East Village
The Head Hi Book Kiosk returns for this year's Architecture & Design Film Festival from October 12-18! Join us at Angelika Cinemas in the East Village for one of our favorite annual events. We made a special selection of books based on this year's film topics including Czech graphic design, Brutalism, space, urban planning and so much more.
Learn more about the Head Hi Book Kiosk here and click below to check out the films.
Trial & Error Magazine Release
Ocotober 6, 6:30pm
Trial & Error is a publication that brings together the work of architectural practices from Europe, the United States, and Latin America, foregrounding the processes that shape contemporary architecture. The book frames architecture as an open-ended endeavor—an unfolding negotiation between iterative design, site constraints, material assemblies, and labor. In doing so, Trial & Error recenters the building as a critical site of architectural discourse while destabilizing the notion of architecture as the product of a singular genius, revealing instead its collective and contingent nature. By embracing the generative potential of error, the book repositions architecture as a practice grounded in doubt and experimentation. Gregory Tsantilas is the founder and editor of DISTIGMO, an independent publisher based in Zurich investigating architecture’s many dimensions.
Presentations by Gregory Tsantilas, editor and publisher of DISTIGMO: Trial & Error, and salazarsequeromedina (School of Architecture faculty, Laura Salazar-Altobelli and Pablo Sequero) and Operadora (Edgar Rodriguez)
Rhythm & Space 04
Sunday, September 28, 3-6pm
Rhythm & Space is an immersive deep listening experience where sound and your surrounding space becomes a portal to introspection, inspiration, and connection. This gathering blends the meditative and the uplifting, guiding you through a landscape of a variety genres on vinyl and live music. We encourage you to slow down, engage, and let the rhythm and space inspire you.
For this gathering, we will have a flow of live music, along with vinyl record DJ sets, with Coulou on the trumpet / guitar, offering rain/melika davé on vocals, synth and drum machine, Erik Kantar on percussion, and Vikmatic on synth, keys, effects. All musical artists will be playing vinyl sets throughout the session.
Special Instructions hosted by Ella Hussle
Thursday, Sept 25, 6-9pm
Special Instructions is an archival project exploring the intersections of music, memory, and preservation. Inspired by an inherited cd collection from her late father, which host, DJ and librarian then expanded into the art of archiving, the craft of librarianship and collecting books. Special Instructions gives a platform for nostalgia but with a twist. The listening sessions are a combinations of all of these under one umbrella: Sound, memory, and literature. For the next session, join us as we take a closer listen to Janet Jackson’s Magnum Opus, The Velvet Rope.
Almost Nothing, Reclaiming Edith Farnsworth Book Launch & Talk
Saturday, September 6, 3-5pm
Join Head Hi, author Nora Wendl, Paul Lisicky, and Olga Touloumi for the launch of Almost Nothing, Reclaiming Edith Farnsworth, a creative nonfiction biography of the Edith Farnstworth House and its central figures. The event will feature a conversation, book signing, and celebration.
COSMISM: Listening Series
Saturday, August 2, 5-8pm
COSMISM is a live music listening event that brings together emerging artists rooted in Asian heritage to create transformative sonic experiences. Curated by Chamberlain Zhang, COSMISM reimagines community listening as an intentional, communal, and experimental act.
The August edition welcomes Brooklyn-based DJ Yibing and Chamberlain Zhang, who will lead this immersive listening session with their personal genreless vinyl collections.
AD Magazine Launch
Friday, July 18, 6-8pm
Join us for the release of the latest AD magazine, Staged: Architecture for Performance, Exhibition, and Fiction, edited by Neil Spiller and Ashley Simone. This AD focuses on how architectural skills are deployed in entertainment to communicate design and form the backdrops for stories to play out. It includes articles on installations, exhibition designs, entertainment architecture, narrative projects, speculations on future human identities, video gaming, and memorial tombs—an international plethora of staged examples of how architectural thinking can bring vitality to situations not usually perceived to be within the realms of traditional practice.
Come celebrate, meet the contributors, and enjoy delicious drinks!
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Special Instructions hosted by Ella Hussle
Thursday, July 10, 6-9pm
Join us as we take a closer listen to an album that caused a cultural shift on the brink of the new millennium, TLC’s Fanmail.
Released February 23rd, 1999, this album was a pivotal point in the trios career and discography. The group's third album and first release after their bankruptcy and label controversy with La Face Records. Dedicating this album to their fans, a gift to show appreciation during their absence. Shifting from their Funk-infused r&b and introducing a more futuristic, electronic and edgy sound. A perfect blend of r&b, pop, hip-hop and techno. Hits like “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty” carried a clear and strong message of empowerment, self-worth, and independence, resonating with young women and marginalized folks around the world.
Let’s take a deep dive into the tracks that made this album the comeback that reinforced TLC’s reputation and one of the most commercially successful girl groups of all time.
Rhthym & Space
Wednesday, July 7, 6-9pm
Rhythm & Space is an immersive deep listening experience where sound and your surrounding space becomes a portal to introspection, inspiration, and connection. This gathering blends the meditative and the uplifting, guiding you through a landscape of a variety of sounds and genres. We encourage you to slow down, engage, and let the rhythm and space inspire you.
Sounds by Vikmatic, Diego & V Ontiveros, Ian Rock and Rude Movements
New York Architecture + Design Book Club
Monday, June 30, 6-8pm
A Book of Things is a guide to Morrison's intense examination of the world of things that accompany our lives and shape our environment. It presents the highlights in his long and varied career, showing projects from draft sketches to finished product, accompanied by his personal anecdotes on the genesis of each design.
For the event on June 30, we thrilled to be joined by Nick Olney, President at Kasmin Gallery where Jasper had his first solo gallery exhibition in North America, and Jonathan Olivares, Creative Director at Knoll.
Free Universe IT'S A FEELING Record Release Gathering
Sunday, June 29, 5-7pm
Brooklyn-based producer GEE DEE steps into a new chapter with the launch of his very own label, FREE UNIVERSE.
The debut release, IT’S A FEELING, is a vibrant four-tracker that showcases his deep-rooted love for hypnotic grooves, playful textures, and dance floor-ready energy. The title track, “IT’S A FEELING,” leads the charge — a punchy, genre-blurring cut that captures the essence of GEE DEE’s sound: raw, emotive, and rhythmic. “ENERGY LOOP” follows with a bright, bouncing bass line and cheeky percussion, keeping spirits high and bodies moving.
Primitive Skills and Head Hi Present: George Greenough Film Screening
Friday, June 20, 7-10pm
Head Hi cordially invites you to celebrate the new issue of Primitive Skills, a publication about surfing adventure or in their own words "the world's loosiests surf magazine" from Australia.
For the occasion on Friday, June 20th, Head Hi will be screening a six pack George Greenough's short films from the '70s including Echoes, a 22 minute tube journey awash with the music of Pink Floyd, Greenough's visions from the inner sanctums of the wave, “the highest high imaginable”.
Rincón Tropical & Head Hi Present:
Que Belleza, the Music of Bolivia, Publication and Launch Celebration
Saturday, June 14, 5-8pm
In this publication, the book makers seek to shed light on the unwritten early history of Bolivia’s vast tropical music scene from the 1960s to the mid-to-late 1980s. Articles include extensive research, archival photography, and several rare record cover scans.
Rhythm & Space
Thursday, June 5, 6-9pm
Rhythm & Space is an immersive deep listening experience where sound and your surrounding space becomes a portal to introspection, inspiration, and connection. This gathering blends the meditative and the uplifting, guiding you through a landscape of a variety of sounds and genres. We encourage you to slow down, engage, and let the rhythm and space inspire you.
Sounds by Vikmatic, Coulou, ራሄል (Rachel), and offering rain (melika davé)
Available Works Book Fair
May 16-18, 2025
The Library at SHELTER
May 17-19, 2025
We are thrilled to be a part of New York's new design fair SHELTER VOL. 1: MART NOUVEAU where we have collaborated with AN Interior on The Library, a selection of new architecture and design publications featured in a design library room in the fair.
Library Talk Public Program: As part of the events, Head Hi's founders Alexandra Hodkowski and Alvaro Alcocer will be speaking about the importance of architecture & design reading materials with AN Interior Executive Editor Jack Murphy during the Library Talks on Sunday, May 18 at 2pm. No RSVP needed, just get your ticket to the fair and join us!
More about the fair: SHELTER VOL. 1 debuts this NYCxDesign week. Presenting an exclusive roster of 100+ brands and creatives from the worlds of furniture, art, and decoration, SHELTER was built to foster connection in changing times. This celebration of home is a gathering place for the design-loving public to explore must-see projects and products and hosts product launches and engaging programming from industry leaders.
Location: Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 West 26th Street, NYC 10001
Musings presents: "Chambers"
May 15-18, 2025
The Head Hi Lamp has been selected to be on view at Chambers, an exhibition by MUSINGS and Olivia Sammons of art and design, celebrating beauty, community and service at 9 Chapel, a beautiful apartment building built by our friends and internationally acclaimed NY based architecture firm SO-IL.
Come experience remarkable views, multiple terraces and industrial finishes in Downtown Brooklyn.
Cocktail reception May 17 5-9pm
9 Chapel St. Brooklyn NY
RSVP, inquiries and viewing please email: osammons@gmail.com
Special Book Launch Celebration: Tony Smith Architecture Catalogue Raisonné
Tuesday, April 22, 6-8pm
Head Hi is thrilled to join The Tony Smith Foundation and Pace Gallery for a reception to celebrate the launch of Tony Smith Architecture Catalogue Raisonné and the companion book Against Reason: Tony Smith, Architecture, and Other Modernisms. Published by The MIT Press, edited by art historian and curator James Voorhies and Sarah Auld, director of the Tony Smith Estate, with authors John Keenen, Christopher Ketcham, and Cynthia Davidson, these books document the extraordinary breadth of architectural production by American artist Tony Smith (1912–1980).
The catalogue raisonné is the first volume to offer a complete record of Smith’s architectural output and is the most comprehensive documentation to date of Smith’s built and unbuilt works while positioning his transdisciplinary practice in dialogue with contemporary voices in art and architecture.
We will be selling the catalogue raisonné books at the event held offsite at Pace Gallery on Tuesday, April 22, 6–8 p.m. with remarks at 6:30 p.m.
Pace Gallery
540 West 25th Street
New York, New York
For book inquiries, email us: hello@headhi.net
To RSVP, email: info@tonysmithfoundation.org
Minette De Silva: Intersections Book Launch
Saturday, April 19th, 3-5pm
Join Head Hi and MACK as we host author and architecture historian Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi and architect Shivani Shedde for an afternoon book launch and conversation on this newly released publication exploring the work of Sri Lankan architect Minnette De Silva, one of the twentieth century’s most significant architects and cultural figures.
Harvard Design Magazine #52: "Instruments of Service" Launch Party, Drinks, and Discussion
Tuesday, April 10, 6-8pm
At a moment when “design” has become everything—and hence nothing—issue 52 examines the hidden mechanics and visible output of design practice in order to track the shifting role of designers in society and to gauge the capacity of designers to effect change in a world of mounting crises. The issue poses a simple question: What do architects actually make and how is this changing?
Join guest editors Elizabeth Bowie Christoforetti and Jacob Reidel along with contributors Mario Carpo, Michael Caton, and Toni Griffin in a discussion about Harvard Design Magazine No. 52: Instruments of Service.
Special Instructions Hosted by Ella Hussle
Thursday, March 27, 6-9pm
Join us as we take a closer listen to one of Prince’s most underrated masterpieces—Rainbow Children. Released in 2001, this 24th album marked a pivotal moment in his career, not only as the tail end of his contract with Warner Bros but also as the moment he reclaimed his name from the Artist Formerly Known As. Rainbow Children stands out for its breathtaking production, weaving together elements of jazz, funk, and soul, all while exploring profound religious symbolism and themes. This intimate exploration will reveal why Rainbow Children remains one of his most talked-about, yet underappreciated releases. Let’s dive deep into the music, the message, and the magic that make this album a true gem in Prince’s vast discography.
Rhythm & Space
Saturday, March 22, 3-5pm
Rhythm & Space is an immersive deep listening experience where sound and your surrounding space becomes a portal to introspection, inspiration, and connection. This gathering blends the meditative and the uplifting, guiding you through a landscape of a variety of sounds and genres. We encourage you to slow down, engage, and let the rhythm and space inspire you.
Sounds by Vikmatic, Coulou and Sheila Govindarajan
Architecture and Videogames: Intersecting Worlds
Friday, March 21, 6-8pm
With contributions from authorities in both architecture and videogame industries, this book examines how videogames as a medium have enlightened the public about the built environments of the past, offered heightened awareness of our current urban context, and presented inspiration for the future directions of architecture. A relatively nascent medium, videogames have rapidly transitioned from cultural novelty to architectural prophet over the past 50 years. That videogames serve as an interactive proxy for the real world is merely a gateway into just how pervasive and potent the medium is in architectural praxis.
If architecture is a synthesis of cultural value and videogames are a dominant cultural medium of today, how will they influence the architecture of tomorrow? Come find out with drinks, friends and conversation with book editors and contributors Ryan Scavnicky, Jose Sanchez, Viola Ago, Tatiana Estrina.
Future Sound of Nature presents Lola Villa & Eli Soul Clap
Saturday, March 15, 8-11pm
After pushing up sprouts with a regenerative music festival in Upstate, New York last June, Future Sound Of Nature (FSON) spreads it’s branches as a multimedia label at the intersection of electronic music and environmental consciousness. Founded by musician / climate activist Eli Goldstein of Soul Clap and visionary artist Lola Villa, FSON recognizes nature as an equal collaborative partner and taps into electronic music’s purpose to inspire, build community, and heal our hearts and souls.
To celebrate the launch of the label we are hosting a party at Head Hi, Brooklyn with Lola performing a sound journey featuring field recordings from the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon from the inaugural release, "Amazonia” and Eli playing music that celebrates Nature and the web that interconnects us
Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism Offsite Book Talk
Monday, March 10, 6:30pm
For the first DOCOMOMO NY Tri-State Modern Conversations presentation of 2025, Mary Anne Hunting and Kevin D. Murphy will discuss their new book Women Architects at Work: Making American Modernism, a comprehensive history of the women architects who left their enduring mark on American Modernism.
Autonomous Urbanism: Towards a New Transitopia
Saturday, March 8, 2-4pm
Join us for a lecture and discussion launching the recently published book monograph Autonomous Urbanism: Towards a New Transitopia (AR+D), authored by architect, urbanist, and Assistant Professor at the New York Institute of Technology, Evan Shieh. The lecture will be followed by a moderated discussion by Felipe Correa of Somatic Collaborative, with an audience Q&A.
Materialized Space Architectural Tour & Book Event
Monday, March 3, 6:30-8:30pm
Join Head Hi, The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, and Abraham Thomas, Daniel Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for an intimate book talk featuring Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, the catalog for the current exhibition by the same title at The Met, and tour of the Rudolph Modulightor Building.
Tectonic Shifts Book Launch
Monday, February 24, 6-8pm
Join us for the New York launch and sale of Tectonic Shifts: Reflections on Our Practice the new book by Wolff Architects. We will be joined by authors Heinrich and Ilze Wolff from Wolff Architects in Cape Town who will be discussing the book and their work with Tianyu Yang and Emanual Admassu.
New York Architecture + Design Book Club
Thursday, February 6, 6-8pm
The New York Architecture + Design Book Club is back with the fourth and final title for our current year: Archigram Ten (Circa Press) edited by Peter Cook. Winka Dubbeldam and Barry Wark, will talk about the book with architect Michael Young. Get the book and RSVP to join us!
Your Heart as a Home Workshop
Saturday, February 8, 3-5pm
Join Head Hi and Seymour Projects for an engaging experience of exploration and connection that invites you to design your heart as an architectural space.
Artist and author Melissa Unger will lead you through a number of catalyzing questions that guide you on an imaginative journey into your heart. Explore its contours and capacity; draw, plan, describe your heart as a physical space within you.
No art or architectural experience needed.
Some art supplies will be provided but we encourage you to bring your own.
Space is limited to a small group.