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NEWS RELEASE |
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The New School and The Architectural League
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| Satya Pemmaraju©2006 |
New York, April 9, 2009—The Architectural League of New York joins with Parsons The New School for Design and the India China Institute of The New School to present a two-day conference titled, “Emerging Exchanges: New Architectures of India,” on April 30 and May 1, 2009 at The New School. The conference will include presentations by architects working in India and panel discussions on the new challenges and conceptualizations affecting India’s landscape.
Participants include Himanshu Burte, Prem Chandavarkar, Kenneth Frampton, Soumitro Ghosh and Nisha Mathew, Sudhir Jambhekar, Rajeev Kathpalia, Anupama Kundoo, Reinhold Martin, Gurjit Singh Matharoo, Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha, Rahul Mehrotra, Geeta Mehta, Vyjayanthi Rao, Samira Rathod, Margie Ruddick and Tom Zook, Michael Sorkin, Neerja Tiku, and Billie Tsien and Tod Williams, convened by Kazi K. Ashraf and Brian McGrath.
Modern architecture in India, represented by the seminal practices of Balkrishna Doshi, Charles Correa, Raj Rewal, and others, evolved out of the shadows of Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn and has long been on a world stage. However, the present moment is marked by new ideological shifts away from early modernist positions.
A new generation of architects, both Indian and international, are involved in practices and productions characterized by both global and transnational imperatives and more situated and regional approaches to building.
The conference will be structured around two overlapping themes: material formations and territorial intersections. It will look at how economic growth, euphoric urbanism, media technologies, transnational modes of production, and new state and social dynamics are challenging India’s notions of culture, identity, practices, and obligations. The keynote address will feature Arjun Appadurai, Goddard Professor for Media, Culture, and Communication at the New York University, who will discuss “Architecture and Amnesia in Indian Modernity.”
The conference will take place Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at The New School in the Theresa Lang Student and Community Center located at 55 West 13th Street in New York. Registration is required for the conference. Tickets include both days of the conference as well as the keynote. Tickets are $40 for the general public and $25 for members of The Architectural League. Admission is free for students, faculty, and staff of New York City educational institutions with valid school ID. Admission to the keynote address may be purchased independently for $10. The keynote address takes place on Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. in The Great Hall of The Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, New York.
For the full conference schedule, speaker bios, and to purchase tickets, visit www.archleague.org/index-dynamic.php?show=880.
Editor’s Note: Members of the media can contact Bridget Fisher at [email protected] for more information.
Additional support is provided by The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union, Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Mark Fletcher, and AD magazine.
ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL LEAGUE
The mission of the Architectural League is to advance the art of architecture. The League carries out its mission by promoting excellence and innovation, and by fostering community and discussion in an independent forum for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines. We present the work and ideas of the world's most interesting and influential architects and designers to New York, national and international audiences, through lectures, exhibitions, publications, and the worldwide web. We identify and encourage talented young architects, through competitions, grants, exhibitions, and publications. And we help shape the future of our built environment by stimulating debate and provoking design thinking about the critical issues of our time. For more information, visit www.archleague.org.
ABOUT INDIA CHINA INSTITUTE
Established in 2004, ICI is emerging as the hub of an international network of institutions and activities that nurture conversations about India, China, and the United States and deepen our understanding of global processes. Made possible in part by a generous $10 million grant from the Starr Foundation, ICI is committed to analyzing major issues and trends in India, China, and the United States and helping leaders, managers, public intellectuals, and opinion builders in all three countries address key challenges through collaborative solutions. At the heart of ICI is a competitive two-year fellowship program. Currently, ICI’s twenty distinguished fellows are collaborating on a broad range of projects to address the topic of “Prosperity and Inequality: Debates in India and China.” For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/ici.
ABOUT PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN
Located in the heart of New York City, Parsons The New School for Design is one of the most prestigious and comprehensive colleges of art and design in the world. Parsons has been a pioneer in the field of art and design since its founding in 1896, establishing the first programs in Interior Design, Advertising and Graphic Design, and Fashion Design in the nation and being an early pioneer in Design and Technology. This visionary leadership has led to five generations of graduates who are some of the most highly recognized in their fields. Today, Parsons focuses on creating engaged citizens and exceptional artists, designers, scholars, and business leaders through a design-based education. Parsons students learn to rise to the challenges of living, working, and creative decision-making in a world where human experience is increasingly designed. As a vital part of The New School, Parsons is forging new ground at the intersection of design and the social sciences. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/parsons.
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