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AIA Keynote speaker selection

Fruehling

So The AIA changed their 2016 keynote speaker to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Who selects the keynotes and why?

Why Actors? Why apparently this tenuous connections to architecture?

If its the keynote most likely to be skipped, why is it the most advertised?

the day 2 keynote is Neri Oxman. 

Phenomenal. Gorgeous...designs. 

the day 3 is Rem Koolhaas

some designs might be Controversial, Perhaps, but I think his work is fantastic.

So what is it about politicians, or actors playing politicians that is so exhilarating to the AIA? 

 

Does anyone know if other professional societies like IEEE, ASHRAE, etc, hire celebrities with minimal industry exposure as thier keynote speakers?

 
May 18, 16 9:54 am
geezertect

Somehow, it fits.

Maybe starchitecture has become Hollywood without the glamour, or maybe politics without the power.

May 18, 16 10:27 am  · 
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citizen

Let's each propose our dream line-up!  I'll start.

Day 1  

 

Day 2  

May 18, 16 11:34 am  · 
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thisisnotmyname

The AIA honchos in Washington just love to waste our dues on this kind of silliness.  I'm sure a bunch of the HQ staff and board members will get their photos made with Ms. Louis-Dreyfous and think that this was money well spent.

May 18, 16 1:22 pm  · 
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x-jla

Day 1:  Steve O

Day 2:  Andy Dick

May 18, 16 1:46 pm  · 
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archanonymous

I might be into this if we could have her in character as Elaine from Seinfeld.

Otherwise, it's just another celebrity... who cares?

 

Other fictional characters I want to give the keynote:

Will Smith as the Fresh Prince of Belaire

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman

May 18, 16 5:05 pm  · 
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Hell, why not just get Ted Mosby?

Better yet, have Brian Dennehy reprise his role as Stourley Kracklite

May 18, 16 5:36 pm  · 
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tduds

Weird Al actually has an architecture degree. Lets get him up there.

May 18, 16 5:40 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

if you can't have them as clients, waste club dues to meet them for a photo op.

May 18, 16 8:24 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

so i know a guy who did Uma Thurmans back yard, another did Kate Hudsons apt, i ran into Wolf Blitzer once in a lobby in a building George Lucas reportdly lived in, was on an elevator with a Trump the other day (fairly certain), Amy Shumer was in my roomates comedy troop back in the day, Jerry Seinfeld was whining to the parking attendent to move some mercedes the other week in UWS, told my wife she could sleep with Louis CK if he allowed her - she just said hello and noted we were sad Lucky Louie wasn't on anymore, thought tennis player Rafael Nadal's wife or girlfriend was hot as he got in an SUV to goto to Flushing Queens, was on a subway car with Mayor Bill DeBlasio, some former General that gives advise on CNN in a hotel restaurant..........standard NYC stuff.......just have the convention in NYC and invite real speakers and maybe you will run into a superstar in the hotel lobby.

May 18, 16 8:46 pm  · 
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shellarchitect

my dad is heading the the NRA convention, just for fun I looked it up today, never heard of anyone there. maybe they are stars for that type of person, certainly not most of the world

May 18, 16 9:06 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

what no Charleston Heston?

May 18, 16 9:06 pm  · 
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no_form

charleston chew is slinging guns with yahweh now.

May 19, 16 2:08 am  · 
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I'm gonna be blunt: you guys are being whiners. If it makes you feel better, you're not alone, but jeez. Lighten up.

I just watched Terry Gross interview Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It was excellent. Julia talked about her beginning years in her chosen career, mistakes she made, shitty jobs whose only saving grace was the friendships bonded in shared misery. The way taking risks leads to better opportunities. The way partners can learn to read each other and improvise to better work together toward a shared goal.

Terry asked intelligent questions that show she did research on her subject and crafted specific questions designed to elicit a truthful response.

Doesn't ALL of this sound like a direct parallel to the initial years of practice and how we should interact with our clients and coworkers?

Also, there was a lot of laughter as they told their stories. They are both masters of their chosen craft, which is inspiring. Bonus: they both used the word "clusterfuck", and both said it was a mild term!

Plenty of people here at the convention using the AIA app were complaining because Julia and Terry weren't talking about *architecture*. Fuck that. We architects are GENERALISTS. If we can't learn from and be influenced by people who are NOT LIKE US then WTH are we doing being architects?!
May 19, 16 10:59 am  · 
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tduds

Terry's such a champ. I'd watch her interview a cactus and be enthralled.

May 19, 16 11:13 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

Paul Goldberger was the keynote for my association's yearly convention but I had to skip it. I might have considered reworking my schedule if it was Andy Dick though.

May 19, 16 11:38 am  · 
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archanonymous

My dues entitle me to whine.

I definitely agree with the idea that we are generalists and should learn from other professions, but to me that means let's have a renowned physicist or atronomer or doctor or researcher talk to us, not a TV personality.

The cult of celebrity around tv and film actresses is distrubing. Would much rather hear from someone who is actually doing interesting and worthwhile things, rather than protraying characters who do so.

May 19, 16 11:39 am  · 
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I agree with you somewhat, archanonymous, but as I've said before actors are at least entertaining when they talk about their personal stories. And as tduds said Terry Gross could interview a plant and it would be fascinating. Honestly, one of the best talks I ever heard was by a turtle specialist!
May 19, 16 11:53 am  · 
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(The turtle guy was not at an AIA conference.)
May 19, 16 11:54 am  · 
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archanonymous

I would totally go to a talk by a turtle specialist. Especially if Terry Gross was interviewing him.

May 19, 16 12:17 pm  · 
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citizen

+++++++++ archanonymous, on each and every point.

May 19, 16 12:35 pm  · 
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Wilma Buttfit

thanks for expressing that archanonymous, my thoughts exactly. 

May 19, 16 1:03 pm  · 
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An actress like Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a craftsperson.  She's not a Kardashian.  She's well-respected in her field, and frankly it's a field that we architects would do well to learn a bit from, as swaying people to understand a point of view is pretty valuable when one is trying to get a commission. Likewise, Terry Gross is likely the best interviewer of all time - she's a master.

Or maybe I'm just a super-optimistic Glee Clubber Spirit Team member who sees the positive in all situations. In which case, "Give me an A! Give me an R! Give me a C! Give me an H! Give me an I! Give me a T! Give me an E! Give me a C! Give me a T! What's that spell? Someone who gives a damn and has fun doing it!"

( I may have had some bourbon at lunch.)

 

May 19, 16 2:30 pm  · 
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Some years ago, I met Neri Oxman at the University of Oregon at I believe was the HOPES conference.

Aside from her general attractiveness as a woman, which is probably why most of the guys were there... lol.....but as for her interests in digital technology and biological centered design was at the least interesting when considering applications of 3d printing.

While I found here concept and approach interesting, I did find it challenging to be adopted and accepted for some time to come for many sectors of architectural design. It will continue to be for some time to come.

May 19, 16 2:52 pm  · 
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quizzical

It needs to be said that the AIA Convention is self-supporting --  member dues are not used to pay keynote speaker fees. Most of the revenue arising from the Convention is provided by manufacturers and vendors who buy exhibition space in the Exhibit Hall. In fact, the Convention is a huge profit center for the AIA and it underwrites much of the AIA's activities.

To the extent the AIA can keep convention attendance high, then manufacturers and vendors will keep renting space and paying exhibition fees. In that respect, "popular" speakers are -- and probably will continue to be -- an important part of the AIA's strategy to keep the Convention economically viable.

I've attended many AIA National Conventions over the years. There's never a shortage of presentations by both famous and not-so-famous architects -- most of which leave the audience in a stupor, much like the photograph in Fruehling's initial post.

May 19, 16 2:58 pm  · 
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Honestly, I don't think anyone comes specifically to see the speakers. Some people who live in or near the host city maybe buy a one-day registration to see one specific speaker. But for the most part people are here getting their LUs, seeing a cool city*, and socializing. The socializing aspect is HUGE. Like, walking through the convention center seeing people I know from all over my life in one place. It's crazy-fun.

*Includes getting a break from our goddam mundane work life for a fucking change LOL but seriously.

If I want to see Rem or Neri or any other star speak educationally about their work there are *endless* supplies of that online. Being here, in person, with thousands of like-minded people, is what a conference is about.

May 19, 16 3:05 pm  · 
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BTW here is the description of the session I'm currently at that was also included as part of my conference fees: "Neuroscience, Evolution, Ecology: What role does biology play in built places? That's the crux of this intriguing session, which explores how biological adaptation influences the structures we design. Leading experts in neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and ecology discuss this concept with a distinguished architect and author. "
May 19, 16 3:20 pm  · 
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quizzical

Donna - I did not mean to suggest that people attend the Convention specifically to hear keynote speakers (I agree they do not). However, to the extent the AIA continues to provide a broad and diverse array of engaging speakers, then attendance will remain high.

My main point was that AIA dues are not used to fund keynote speaker fees.

May 19, 16 3:31 pm  · 
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Personally I think having non-architecture associated people is fine. Theaster Gates is kind of non-architecture/kind of not (disclaimer - I worked on Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative where Rebuild Foundation is a partner), and thought his talk in Chicago was great. I think it's yet another point of view that could be interesting to hear. Besides with Neri and Rem, you need a break from architecture.

I'd personally mark the hell out for a Neil deGrasse Tyson keynote...or hell get one of my favorite wrestlers from the 80s and 90s.

May 19, 16 6:18 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞
Neri Oxman KICKED ASS!
May 20, 16 10:08 am  · 
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I remember her at HOPE 19 conference at UO. b3tadine, I'm glad you found her presentation interesting. I found her presentation thought provoking for design of structures in the future as the means of developing such structural forms becomes more achievable economically. The pragmatist in me recognizes challenges to adoption in practice. 

May 20, 16 4:29 pm  · 
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no_form

"I found her presentation thought provoking for design of structures in the future as the means of developing such structural forms becomes more achievable economically."-rwcb

me talk pretty one day.

May 20, 16 4:37 pm  · 
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God Neri Oxman was fucking mind-blowing. And yet, I feel confident that there were at least a few people in the audience thinking to themselves "Well fine but this isn't Architecture. Why can't she talk about curtain walls?"
May 21, 16 7:05 am  · 
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TIQM

Hi Donna-

Can you briefly paraphrase the focus of Neri Oxman's talk? 

May 21, 16 11:47 am  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞
My statement at the AIA Business Meeting:

I rise to oppose Resolution 16-3, I would however like to make a brief statement.

I'm not interested in what these members believe. They're allowed as dues paying members to present this resolution, provided of course they follow our bylaws, but the reasonable among us are not required to be accomplices in their speech.

In short; We can't attempt to reason with the unreasonable.

Yet, we, as delegates, leadership and members have tried to do just that, and our tacit approval of this particular cadre of 50 have only emboldened their efforts.

So, you might be wondering, where am I going, what is my point?

We as a professional organization, cannot, on the one hand, dismiss these resolutions, year after year and these members, and with the other hand take payment for a booth on the expo floor, year after year . When we take their blood money, we not only tacitly approve of their organization, but are complicit in their speech.

My statement is not a principled one, it's an obvious one. What is principled and courageous, is what I'm going to be asking of you; let the reasonable prevail over the unreasonable, return their money, and never allow them to purchase space on the Expo Floor again.

Thank you.
May 21, 16 12:32 pm  · 
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Well done and well said Ken.
May 21, 16 12:36 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

good job Ken.

and I would love a Neri Oxman re-cap - Donna.

May 21, 16 1:02 pm  · 
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digger

Ken - like you I don't place much credence in what these 9-11 conspiracy theorists keep putting forward. However, I'm curious to know where the 1st Amendment fits into your argument?

All across the country there's an increasing intolerance of views one might not share. While common in all walks of life, this intolerance seems especially true on college campuses -- supposedly bastions for freedom of inquiry and expression -- where unpopular opinions and speakers (usually right-of-center) regularly get shouted down.

It's one thing to oppose somebody's point of view -- it's another thing altogether to silence an unpopular view.

Also, why does the AIA's past decision to rent these people a booth constitute "tacit approval" of what they espouse? Renting a booth to Anderson Windows does not constitute a "tacit approval" of their products.

May 21, 16 2:37 pm  · 
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geezertect

Resolution 16-3?  I give up, what is it?

May 21, 16 2:44 pm  · 
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awaiting_deletion

the AIA is a club, 1st Amendment does not have to apply here. and lets see this resolution 16-3

May 21, 16 2:51 pm  · 
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digger

Resolution 16:3:

See P. 38 at this link: http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab108469.pdf

May 21, 16 3:13 pm  · 
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curtkram

if they didn't believe the findings of the investigations that already happened, why would they believe the findings of a new investigation, unless of course it happened to confirm whatever it is they want confirmed?

their idea of finding truth is to keep repeating the experiment until you get the results you want.  that's not how it works.

May 21, 16 4:33 pm  · 
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x-jla

Stop calling sculpture architecture or else the Gustapo may find a way to require artists to be licensed.  That would surely be the end of the world as we know it.  

May 21, 16 4:46 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞
Digger, money is not speech. Read what I wrote above, and notice that I have no issues - actually I think the tinfoil was heavy and the promises of truth are specious - with these jobbers doing what they did. I do however I have a problem with my professional organization taking money for a booth. They can have a table, on the street corner, like the other conspiracy theorists.
May 21, 16 6:22 pm  · 
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curtkram

i would say that there is nothing strange about conjecture at all

it is true that i have not looked deeply into the claims made by the 911 truthers, and thus it is true that my statement is made without access to complete information presented by the that group. 

on the other hand, i think it's commonly accepted knowledge that the cause of the building collapses on 9/11 was related to airplanes flying into them.  if the truthers want to delve more deeply into it, they don't need the aia's support. 

May 21, 16 7:13 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞
Let's clear something up, this group has been pursuing this issue for a while. They are a conclusion looking for the "correct" trigger, to get us all to a mythical "a-ha" moment. I have been to several movie events by the truthers, and they continually move the goal posts, and today they finally used real family members as props, hoping that would clarify their point. Fucked up.

So, let's look at the resolution, it's about World Trade 7, no one died in WTC7, so why are family members of people who died in the Twin Towers there again? They're there to serve as the camel, poking is head in the tent, and nothing more. If we were to have another investigation, no one would be satisfied, and the goal posts will move once again.

As for tacit approval, Anderson Windows is not an AIA member, they sell stuff, we put said stuff in our projects. When you take money from groups you disagree with, you essentially approve their message. If Ted "Zodiac" Cruz took money from Planned Parenthood, do you really think that his constituents wouldn't have a problem with that?
May 21, 16 7:33 pm  · 
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,,,,

I looked over the contract for exhibitors at an AIA Convention and it specifically states that the AIA has sole discretionary power to limit who can exhibit at one of their events.

May 21, 16 8:37 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞
Q, you're exactly right, my statement had nothing to do with the resolution, it wasn't intended to. It had everything to do with what z1111 pointed out; the AIA doesn't need a resolution, board, or member approval to do what I ask.
May 21, 16 10:22 pm  · 
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archanonymous

I am so glad I didn't go to the convention. Sounds like a real waste of time between the 9/11 truthers, the anti-truthers and the celebrities.

May 21, 16 10:24 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞

.

May 21, 16 11:05 pm  · 
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∑ π ∓ √ ∞

Q, you're wrong. We're not a democracy, we're a private organization, we can, and I believe, treat them like an at will employee; we can tell them we have no other space available, or we don't like the font on their resolution, or they didn't use the Oxford comma correctly.

And Q, I got nothing but praise and applause for my comments, and exasperation that the AIA would allow them on the Expo Floor, as most never knew that was the case.

May 21, 16 11:08 pm  · 
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