There is no female pronoun for architect in Italian, so a new project, Architette, was born aiming to professionally promote the female title in Italian. The project's objective consists of monitoring all-male juries and conferences, mentoring young generations on the ground to advocate for a more heterogeneous and fair professional landscape, where women can be an inspirational reference in architecture.
The project had been widely covered in the media and it opened a broad, intense, public debate on the use of the feminine term for the profession. Francesca Perani decided to keep the discussion alive and, with 16 other collaborators, she founded the collective editorial team RebelArchitette backing professional women in architecture, advocating both the use of the feminine term and the promotion of female role models in architecture. The promotion of the feminine term, targetting mainly architecture students and young professionals is also one of its focal points.
The collective, RebelArchitette, developed the online digital book ARCHITETTE = WOMEN ARCHITECTS / 1⁄2 Here We are! which delivers a powerful, international, and engaging cultural project. The first section explores 183 architectural studios, from the 1800s to the present day, looking at award-winning architects to lesser-known, yet inspirational profiles. This non-profit project will be completed with the online publication of 365 biographies of women architects from all over the world to coincide with the opening of Biennale Architettura, in Venice, Italy 2018 (26th May - 25th November).
The choice of profiles is based on constant, active search for investigation of dynamic women architects, each notable for inspiring, distinctive features: producing outstanding architecture, achieving academics results, exploring new architectural paths, working in problem areas, engaging with equality, social and environmental issues, or even spearheading the attainment of architect licences for women. All biographies are edited following a pattern: academic studies, experiences, studio’s most prominent projects and awards, to better represent the progression and choices that guide a successful professional. Women-driven studios showcased in the selection feature single female architects, couples (woman+man), all female teams. The reason behind this selection is to break the stereotype of studio where women are relegated to a supporting role in a male-dominated show.
The project is intended to be both a source of inspiration for young professional women in design and a directory available to anyone who is interested in a fairer representation of the work of women in architecture (such as journalists, professional bodies, event or jury organizers, academics).
RebelArchitette - Editorial Team:
Founder and curator:
Francesca Perani
Editing Managers:
Anna Serafini, Claudia Manenti, Caterina Pilar Palumbo, and Ilenia Perlotti
Editing team:
Giulia Baroni, Laura Belotti, Silvia Carrara, Martina Colombari, Martina Ottaviano, Elena Fabrizio, Mary Kaldani, Giusy Paterno, and Tatiana Vinciguerra
Press releases:
Marta Brambilla
Translation:
Giovanna Bosis and Domenica Bona
Divisare head curator:
Domenica Bona
