This spring, the AA is holding a series of talks, part of a wider series leading up to the centenary of women at the Architectural Association in 2017. Organised by AA XX 100 with the AA Collections (consisting of the Library, Photo Library and Archives), scholars examine the work of AA-trained female architects who helped shape architectural practice and the profession globally in the 20th century. After each talk there will be an opportunity to view a selection of historic material from the AA Collections.
For further information see press release attached or see memberevents.aaschool.ac.uk/
AA XX 100 / AA Collections lecture series, spring 2015
‘From Croydon to Chandigarh: Jane Drew and the creation of Tropical Modernism’ looks at Drew’s long and eventful career including her work in the Middle East, West Africa and India in partnership with her husband Maxwell Fry. Dr Iain Jackson’s talk on 28 April will address issues such as the value of independence and collaboration in architectural practice; he will provide a reassessment of this important figure by looking beyond some of the prejudices that existed at the time click here
Dr Katie Lloyd Thomas will give the second talk on 12 May entitled ‘The New Synthesist: Proprietary Specification, Ripolin and Elisabeth Benjamin’s East Wall (1936)’. She will take one building, a brick reinforced concrete house at Gerrards Cross, and look at what was different about this project in terms of the architect-client relationship. With the growth in availability of new building products at that time, the talk examines a new role for architects, that of ‘synthesist’ click here
The final talk turns the spotlight on the student body of the AA. Patrick Zamarian’s talk on 19 May, ‘Moth-Eaten Old Students and Noisy Little Schoolboys – The AA in the Post-war Era’, examines the ethos of the AA in the 1940s and 1950s. Providing context to the first two talks, it shows how the growth of the school and students’ activism influenced the operations and direction of the school click here
After each talk there will be an opportunity to view a selection of unique historic material from the AA Collections related to each topic and to hear about the objects from the Librarian, Photo Librarian and Archivist.
The talks are hosted by AA Membership and open to all, no RSVP required. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
Notes
Information on previous AA XX 100 lecture series, see
http://conversations.aaschool.ac.uk/the-2015-aa-xx-100-lecture-series/
Information on the AA XX 100 project see http://xx.aaschool.ac.uk
Information on the AA XX 100 / AA Collections lecture series see http://memberevents.aaschool.ac.uk/
Other talks on aspects of the AA Collections including Dr Catherine Burke speaking on Mary Medd, see http://conversations.aaschool.ac.uk/mary-medd-1907-2005-researching-a-life-in-education-and-architecture/
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