And the Rest is History… On the Archival Representation of Women Architects investigates how notions of architectural authorship have impacted the inclusion of women in architectural archives, affecting architectural history and canon. Modeled after the male architect and infused with the concept of the sole genius, traditional notions of authorship have constituted a normative profile in architectural history. As women met with gender-specific challenges and obstacles in their education and careers, they have often operated in roles and modes that differed from those of men. Not fitting existing notions of authorship, they have typically not been recognized as architects of historical importance or even architects at all.

As an institute that both preserves and produces history, the architectural archive plays a central role in the recognition of women architects in history. This project identifies the architectural archive as a crucial field of action to arrive at a more inclusive architectural history. With its author-based system, the archive possesses both the responsibility and the opportunity to define architectural authorship. By tracing the impact of traditional notions of authorship on archival policies, systems, and practices, this project brings into view how the legacies of women have remained under-recognized or valued by architectural archives. Adopting a wider variety of author profiles as a basis for archival collecting will support a richer and more gender-balanced architectural history, moving from a narrative centered around the sole (male) genius to one of a multifaceted and collective process of architectural production.

date

September 2022 -

Team

Catja Edens

Sergio M. Figueiredo

Bernard Colenbrander