Perspective: State of Being | Scratch Pad

May 09, 2022 By IIDA HQ

What to read, watch, experience, and where to go in May.

By IIDA HQ May 09, 2022

(Above: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Municipal Stadium (1959–66), Ahmedabad, by Charles Correa and Mahendra Raj. Photo courtesy of MoMA)

WHERE TO GO

The Project of Independence
Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Through July 2, 2022

This exhibition examines what happens when territories emerge from colonial rule and reclaim their autonomy. It specifically features architecture in the territories of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lankaas regional architects, designers, and planners embraced their own visions, creating a language for the design of place and space by weaving together modernism with traditional cultural craft. Highlighting the work of Indian architect Balkrishna V. Doshi, the only South Asian to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture; Sri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva and Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari, the first women architects in their countries; and many others through film, photographs, projects sketches, project plans, and more.

(Below Right: National Cooperative Development Corporation office building (1978–80), New Delhi, by Kuldip Singh and Mahendra Raj. Image courtesy of MoMA.)

Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla
Through July 17, 2022

This is the first exhibition focusing on French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s transformative decade of the 1960s, and includes major paintings, assemblages, and sculptures that have not been viewed in the U.S, as well as photos and documentation of her life and work during this time. De Saint Phalle is widely known for her monumental sculptural works and performative modes of production, as in the creation of Pirodactyl over New York (1962) in which she used a gun to shoot paint at her canvas. After the 1960s expanded her practice to include immersive environments and architecture, sculpture gardens, books, films, perfume, jewelry, and more.

(Below: Pirodactyl over New York (1962), Niki de Saint Phalle, image courtesy of MCASD)

Pirodactyl over New York (1962), Niki de Saint Phalle, image courtesy of MCASD

WHAT TO EXPERIENCE

What’s Out There Olmsted
The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Drawing from The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s extensive "What’s Out There" database, this interactive digital guide has launched in time to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. Considered the “father of landscape architecture,” Olmsted left a legacy of iconic national historic landmarks, parks, and gardens, both public and private spaces. The archive includes a searchable database of North American landscapes and 100 biographical entries about this family, employees of the firm, consultants, and collaborators.

Olmstead's Thomas Jefferson Memorial from What's Out There Olmsted, photo by Barrett Doherty 2015

Olmstead's Piedmont Park, Atlanta from What's Out There Olmsted, photo by David Cole.

WHAT TO READ

Odesa by Yelena Yemchuk
(GOST, 2022)
Poems by Ilya Kaminsky

Ukrainian-American photographer Yelena Yemchuck documents Odesa, Ukraine, a city that has fascinated her since childhood. Odesa’s reputation as a free, bohemian, and defiant place during Soviet rule still occupies a sense of complex and unique cultural identity. The work spans the period directly following the region's annexation by Russia (2015-2019). Originally setting out to photograph the teenagers attending the Odesa Military Academy,Yemchuck found herself absorbed by their lives, their families, and the city itself.

Photo from Odesa by Yelena Yemchuk, image courtesy of GOST Books.

A contestant competing on The Great Pottery Throw Down Season five, image courtesy of HBOmax.

WHAT TO WATCH

"The Great Pottery Throw Down, Season 5"
HBOmax

The latest in the genre of soothing, low-drama competition shows,The Great Pottery Throw Down is back for season five. British home potters compete over a series of projects and tests, measuring a range of skills and techniques filmed at the historic Middleport Pottery. Watch these amateur artists learn from the judges, cheer each other on, and create charming projects culminating in picnic with families and friends to announce the winner.

WHERE TO GO

The Project of IndependenceArchitectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)Through July 2, 2022

Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960sMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La JollaThrough July 17, 2022