Writing Women Architects ON Film at ADFF 2020: Dagmar Richter

“Writing Women Architects On Film” is a new Pratt SoA seminar, taught by Professor Dale B. Cohen, archiving the work of women architects via film. The objective of the course is for each student to learn about the work of generations of women architects through the intimate examination of a single architect and to compellingly tell the story of an architect’s life and work in a historical context using the medium of film. Film subjects for the seminar are selected from the Mistresses of Pratt archiving project, which recognizes the work of women educators. The seminar is an extension of Cohen’s project “Women Architects are Everywhere: 1MIN Student Film Competition”, to be re-launched in 2021.

The Architecture and Design Film Festival selected one Cohen’s student’s films for its “2020 Short Films Program, I: Inspired by Mentors”. The film, Dagmar Richter: Influencing Great Architecture, by Umay Gunes Kurtulan, B.ARCH ’20, describes how “Dagmar Richter influences new generations of architects by setting a bold and fearless example of versatility within architecture, through a feminist outlook.”

Panelists:
Dagmar Richter (film subject), Professor and Chair of Arhitecture, Pratt Institute
Umay Gunes Kurtulan (film maker), Graduate, Pratt Institute School of Architecture
Kyle Bergman, AIA, Founder and Festival Director, Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF)
Dale B. Cohen, Assoc. AIA, Visiting Assistant Professor, Pratt Institute

About the Speakers:

Dagmar Richter is a Professor of Architecture in the US and a registered architect in Germany who has taught since 8196 at RISD, Cooper Union, Harvard GSD, UCLA, The Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, and Berlin Weissensee. She was the chair of architecture at Cornell University and Pratt Institute and a guest professor at schools in the US and Europe. Richter has published numerous articles and two monographs on her work as well as on other architects. She has won prizes in many open international architectural competitions, has exhibited her work in important museums, and has lectured on her work around the globe. Richter’s work ranges from conceptual design for museum exhibits, urban, and architectural competitions, to small house design and restoration projects. She teaches at Pratt Institute and her current research is on CIOOP housing, intentional communities and building groups.

Umay Gunes Kurtulan is a recent graduate of Pratt Institute School of Architecture. Prior to receiving her Bachelor of Architecture in the US, she completed her education in her hometown Istanbul, Turkey. Gunes recently started using video and film making as a tool to speak about equality and social rights through her architectural education. Both in her design and artistic work, a narrative of emotions and thoughts are embedded in the final product. She is currently working as a designer at Re-a.d Architecture and Design.

Architect Kyle Bergman founded the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) in 2008 and serves as its festival director. He has always recognized the strong connection between architecture and film. Bergman believes that ADFF provides a unique opportunity to educate, entertain and engage people who are passionate about the world of architecture and design. He also serves as vice president on the board of Pacific Rim Parks Organization, whose mission is to use the process of designing and building parks as a tool to connect communities around the Pacific.

Dale B. Cohen, Assoc. AIA, trained as an architect, is an award-winning interior designer and Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute. Under the Bloomberg administration, she led the renovation and restoration of Gracie Mansion. The founder of cohen designstudio, her practice is centered on residential interior renovation, design, and furnishings in NYC, the Hamptons, and California. Cohen lectures on the history of residential and contemporary design, and has participated in art and design installations in Manhattan and the Hamptons. Dedicated to service, she served as co-chair of the AIANY Interiors Committee and now serves as a member of the AIANY Architecture Dialogues Committee. Cohen also created the annual Yale Day of Service project, the Architect is IN and Women Architects are Everywhere, and the 1MIN Student Film Competition. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Yale.

About the film:

Title: Dagmar Richter: Influencing Great Architecture
Director: Umay Gunes Kurtulan
2020 / 10:22 min / USA
Architect Dagmar Richter influences new generations of architects by setting a bold and fearless example of versatility within architecture, through a feminist outlook. Featured in ADFF 2020 Short Films Program, I: Inspired by Mentors.