Actually, I am blinded by this light" Zaha Hadid's first words at the lecture. — SCI Arc Media Archive
"Zaha Hadid reviews her work at the AA with Rem Koolhaas, and, before that, with Leon Krier. She stresses her interest in the Russian avant-garde. She expresses her need to seriously engage with twentieth century culture. She describes her first independent projects after leaving the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. She explores the ideas of dynamics, also referred to by some as hysterics. She argues for the importance of color as a way of manipulating building and space. She discusses her competition project for the Peak Leisure Club in Hong Kong." - archives.
This is when I saw Zaha Hadid for the first time at SCI Arc in 1985. She beams out talent, strength, commanding conviction that she has got it. She is at her best.
When she was doing this she was part of the times you'd be a lone ranger just thirty years ago and she was one of them in the male wolf den. She talks of her precedents, technological inspirations, and Hong Kong Peak project. She shows 4th and 5th student projects, her first project after OMA, Parc la Villette and back to Hong Kong Peak details.
*video starts @ 2:00 and stops at 0.62 min., picture quality is grainy, but the sound is excellent.
Introduction by Shelly Kappe.
6 Comments
I don't want to go backwards, but I really dig suprematism, not for it's formal qualities but for its negation of gravity. This is what I chose as precedent for some of my work which will create a format for 20th century culture. che coglione!
Thayer, do you really think it is wrong for young and idealistic architects to say things like that in their early career? From what I could observe, she followed through on most of the things she mentioned in that lecture. Right or wrong, I am not judgemental.
She is Zaha Hadid, like it or not, she is very influential and done a lot of buildings already and received some of the highest recognitions from her piers and the critics.
I don't agree with everything she says or does, but I was very impressed by her at that lecture and her strengths and vulnerabilities made a lasting place in my memory bank.
Nothing near "che coglione!" whatsoever.
Sad day Zaha Hadid died today.
She beams out talent, strength, commanding conviction that she has got it. This is perfect.
At a time when Europe is becoming ever more segregated and stigmatizing Muslims, here is an example of someone who transcended all of that- with her architectural work. A massive contribution to the profession. She should be front page news...not the stupid terrorists.
"In response to the outpouring of sadness at the passing of the incredibly talented architect, Zaha Hadid, I am reminded of her lecture at SCI-ARC in 1985. As coordinator of SCI-ARC's Design Forum Public Lecture Series, I had invited her to speak at our school.
In the discussion following, students asked her about the use of "historicism" in "post modern" architecture. "Oh," she replied enthusiastically, "you have wonderful history in Los Angeles, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler!!" It was a perfect Zaha moment!"
- Shelly Kappe
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