Lecture
The Aesthetics of Being
2022–2023 Lecture Series: Engaging Pluralism, Spring Edition
Feb. 22, 2023
5:30pm
MD Anderson Hall, Farish Gallery

In the context of clarified cultural and political tensions, a changing climate, and rapid urban development, bell hooks' notion of the "aesthetics of being" can offer creative departures for contemporary design practice today. Sara Zewde will explore the aesthetics of being, featuring recent design work by Studio Zewde.

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Sara Zewde is founding principal of Studio Zewde, a design firm in New York City practicing landscape architecture, urbanism, and public art. Named to Architectural Digest's AD100 and an Emerging Voice by the Architectural League of New York, the firm is celebrated for its design methods that sync culture, ecology, and craft. In parallel with practice, Sara serves as Assistant Professor of Practice at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Sara holds a master’s of landscape architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a master’s of city planning from MIT, and a BA in sociology and statistics from Boston University.

Engaging Pluralism
When ideologies and cultures collide, new ways of working with and living in the world emerge. As a form of political philosophy, pluralism draws upon this dynamic condition, promoting the coexistence of multiple approaches and worldviews. Yet in the context of compounding crises and unchecked inequality, this is far from a neutral position: it becomes a commitment to struggle and discourse. Drawing from a broad-ranging group of speakers, Rice Architecture’s annual lecture series, Engaging Pluralism, explores how architects and designers can work with friction, contradiction, and multiplicity to effect broader social, cultural, and environmental change. It is an all-school platform for reflecting on the possibilities and challenges of designing for a pluralistic society.

All lectures are free and open to the public and, unless noted otherwise, will be held in person in Farish Gallery, MD Anderson Hall, with a livestream component. In the event that COVID-19 circumstances prohibit in-person lectures, the series will be held virtually via Zoom. Each lecture has been submitted for AIA CES approval.

This lecture series is made possible through the generous support of the Betty R. and George F. Pierce Jr., FAIA, Fund; the William B. Coleman Jr. Colloquium Fund for Architecture; and the Wm. W. Caudill Lecture Series Fund. Rice Design Alliance (RDA) programming is made possible by the generous support of its members and underwriters: Harvey | Harvey Cleary, Lovett/Inwood Homes, Page, Anslow Bryant Construction, Elliott Electric/Eaton, Gensler, KenMor Electric Co., MAREK, Scott and Judy Nyquist, Tellepsen, Turner Construction Company, Walter P Moore, Wholesale Electric | ABB, and W.S. Bellows Construction Corporation.

 
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