Meta Brunzema contributes chapter to “Feminist Practices” book
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012 @ 8:03 pm
GAUD faculty, Meta Brunzema, contributed with a chapter for a new book called “Feminist Practices” edited by Lori A. Brown and published by Ashgate in London. The chapter describes one of her most exciting and experimental projects - “La Marqueta Mile” in East Harlem, NY a mile-long project that is currently under development.
Feminist Practices Book Launch Party:Van Alen Institute, Thursday, March 1st, 7-9 p.m.30 West 22nd Street, NYC
Feminist Practices Book Launch Party: Bluestockings Bookstore, Friday, March 2nd, 7-9 p.m.172 Allen Street, NYC
Ashgate provides the following description of the book:
Women continue to be extremely under-represented in the architectural profession. Despite equal numbers of male and female students entering architectural studies, there is at least 17-25 per cent attrition of female students and not all remaining become practicing architects. In both the academic and the professional fields of architecture, positions of power and authority are almost entirely male, and as such, the profession is defined by a heterosexual, Eurasian male perspective.
This book argues that it is vital for all architectural students and practitioners to be exposed to a diversity of contemporary architectural practices, as this might provide a first step into broadening awareness and transforming architectural engagement. It considers the relationships between feminist methodologies and the various approaches toward design and their impact upon our understanding and relationship to the built environment. In doing so, this collection challenges two conventional ideas: firstly, the definition of architecture and secondly, what constitutes a feminist practice.
This collection of up and coming female architects and designers use a wide range of local and global examples of their work to question different aspects of these two conventional ideas. While focusing on feminist perspectives, the book offers insights into many different issues, concerns and interpretations of architecture, proposing through these types of engagement, architecture can become more culturally, politically and environmentally relevant. This 'next generation' of architects claim feminism as their own and through doing so, help define what feminism means and how it is evolving in the 21st century.
The book is available online through Ashgate or Amazon
The introduction by Lori A. Brown can be found here
The table of contents can be found here