I plan to come back and edit this post a bit later, but for now, here's a bit of a who's who around the school lately.
TOYO ITO LECTURE
Someone from... something... contacted me and asked me to post a blog for this lecture. I don't know if I'm supposed to do so here or elsewhere, but hey. Here it is. 
This image is really fun if you go to the school and can play Where's Waldo. In front is Liza Fior from muf. She is teaching an advanced studio and seminar this semester and will be lecturing in a couple of weeks. 
When you lecture at Yale, this is what you see... orange carpet, the Dean in the first 3 rows, and CONCRETE. Oh, and the school's giant camera in your face. Sorry, everyone who has ever lectured within the past year, or will lecture in the next year and a half. Just remember, "The more photos I take of you, the more likely there is to be a good one!" 
Toyo Ito pondering the slide that is projected above him. He was a really excellent, clear, thorough speaker, even via translation. 
In fact he said something so profound that Dean Stern jumped up and started singing "Can I get a RU-DOLPH" and the whole lecture hall got up and started dancing. The lights went out, everyone was wearing diamonds, and the secret disco ball descended from the ceiling. It was rad. Then the lights came back on and... 
Peggy Deamer, who is my current studio critic for Urbanism & sitting here next to John Patkau, asked a good question about Ito's model of practice and its relationship to the construction industry in Japan. 
Then Peter Eisenman was like, "I love you, man." And then we all went to go get martinis and wine.
Alex Felson, who is my studio's roving environmental & sustainability expert, took his suitcase full of rare books. 
Fabrication instructors Kimo Griggs and Susan Farricelli flanking Jessica Vitali, an architecture student at University of Washington.
RUDOLPH SYMPOISUM
Adrian Forty, theorist who delivered the Keynote Address
Hilary Sample of MOS, who just won the PS1 pavilion design competition. 
Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, Saarinen Expert!
Sunil Bald of Studio SUMO with whom I have drawing class this semester.
Joyce Hsiang teaches first year studio, and Bimal Mendis is an assistant dean.
Sylvia Lavin delivered a really excellent paper on Paul Rudolph's experimentation with "flash in the pan" design materials like lights, mirror & carpet that don't reappear over multiple works.
Sunil again with Ken Tadashi Oshima from University of Washington. 
Come to our receptions.... we have martinis.
CLASS
I'm taking a class at the School of Management for my elective this semester. It is co-taught by William Drenttel, who is the one in this photo & publishes Design Observer, and Michael Bierut from Pentagram. I wasn't trying to be creepy. Photographing the chalkboard is more efficient than taking notes - in this case, a list of "stuff that is designed."
19 Comments
fun post...no need to edit.
I was literally just sitting in class an hour ago thinking how much my damn hand hurts writing notes, and I thought back to a student in my undergrad classes who used to take pics of the board. Although, your board looks less like a list and more like a mess. I think I'd choose notes in this case.
Wow. Amazing photos Susan. And hilarious narration. A++
Good stuff, Susan! I love the concrete wall, too. Reminds me of that scene where Darth Vader kills one of his unworthy officers.
a secret disco ball, yay!!
we have secret discos in canada too, but everyone line dances instead.
He LOVED multiple tiny mirrors.
weird, I wrote a whole little blurb about Kimo here and it disappeared. Hmm.
more!
i KNEW there were secret discos! but nobody would ever spill. thanks, susan.
Can we please direct our attention to the Martini Maven - she is really the star of this whole soiree and resulting blog.
Deats, Misss S, DEATS!
Lovely photos ... you have to love that
lecture hall deep in the bowels of the building ;)
that's an especially awesome picture of ito....
all in all a great post!
this kind of reminds me of an abracadabra, faia episode...ooh la la
Takes me back.
Nice to see Mr. Tim Newton looking so dapper.
A
Must agree Ito's photo is so perfect. The tilt of his head the hand in pocket, leaning against the wall et al.
RU-DOLPH! Hilarious. Thanks, Susan. Hope you are well, take care of yourself.
I miss the post-lecture miniburgers.
Great post and pictures, the masochist in me is missing it all.
You can't complain about having orange carpet and concrete wall madness, we don't even have our own lecture hall yet. Maybe Milstein will be built by the end of the next paradigm shift.
I'm not complaining about orange or concrete! I love it.