Dr. Ghazal Jafari, Ana María Durán Calisto, and Khensani De Klerk

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SPATIAL PRACTICE

LABASH 2021 - SUNDAY, APRIL 11th 

Tonight’s session will begin with three, 10-minute presentations from our panelists: the first by, Dr. Ghazal Jafari, founding director of OPEN SYSTEMS / Landscape Infrastructure Lab, and currently an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at University of Virginia; next, a presentation from Khensani de Klerk, an architectural designer and planner from Johannseburg, and co-founder and director of Matri-Archi(tecture); and lastly, a presentation by Ana María Durán Calisto, co-founder of Estudio A0, a lecturer at Yale University Architecture, and doctoral candidate at UCLA. These conversations will deal with theoretical questions that pertain to landscape architecture and other spatial disciplines -- engaging with large, complex issues of ethics and justice, along with the specificity that these terms assume in various cultural contexts. Our panelists bring a wealth of relevant experience and knowledge, stemming from their practices in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, activism, and academia. Additionally, these spatial practitioners work in three regions that are traditionally underrepresented and under-engaged in landscape architectural curriculums. Following the panelists’ presentations, we will convene for a discussion moderated by our two organizers: Jihany Hassun and Vanessa Dikuyama.