In the beginning of 2020 the talk series Architects, not Architecture (AnA) decided to go digital adapting to the restrictions for cultural events due to the covid-19 pandemic. Throughout the whole year and into the first quarter of 2021 their new talk series dubbed Virtual World Tour (VWT) expanded their reach from a Eurocentric approach to a global talk series, unfolding intellectual biographies of renowned and relevant international architects through the screens of thousands of viewers in their homes.
Amongst others, AnA invited personalities such as Elizabeth Diller (Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, USA), Simon Alford (RIBA President, United Kingdom), Gabriella Carillo (TALLER Gabriela Carrillo), Steven Holl (Steven Holl Architects, United States) and Maria Warner Wong (WoW Architects, Singapore). Of course the talks have been archived on Architects, not Architecture’s website and the specific archdaily tag so that you can re-watch these.
In an ever more connected world Architects, not Architecture supports the cultural exchange in the architecture community and connects architects on a personal level beyond borders. If you’ve missed out on it in recent times, here is the talk from Lyndon Neri , founding partner of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, who is based in Shanghai, China:
In his talk on march 24th 2021, Lyndon Neri touched on a diversity of topics. Not everything is connected to architecture, but that’s what makes Architects, not Architecture so special. Who would’ve know that Neri used to play basketball in school and was a supporter of the Golden State Warriors. “But in the times when they were losing!” he had to add in order to not seem as if he would band-wagon on the recent success they have had along with their point guard Steph Curry. While these stories make the speaker approachable, interesting anecdotes emerge that can help one understand the speaker’s influences. In Lyndon Neri’s Case he mentioned his time at Harvard at the end of Rafael Moneo’s directorship and the transition to Rem Koolhaas, which shaped his architectural position.
Due to the outstanding response of the first Virtual World Tour, the team of AnA has decided to set up a second Season of the Virtual World Tour starting from October 13th, 2021. Until December 8th you will be able to listen to architects stories from Hong Kong, Brazil, Japan, United States (L.A.) and Turkey. With Japanese architect and Pritzker Prize laureate Toyo Ito, the VWT Season 2 will have its biggest highlight on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021. All registrations are open on Architects, not Architecture’s platform and are free of cost, so do not miss out! If you want to keep up to date and get insightful content, follow them on Instagram @architectsnotarchitecture.
