Free event. AA Members and general public all welcome.
No RSVP required
In 1945 the AA School returned from its wartime exile in rural Hertfordshire to Bedford Square, where, facilitated by the government’s Further Education and Training scheme, it soon grew to twice its pre-war size. The presence of a large number of mature, self-assertive and almost entirely male ex-service students had a considerable impact on the way the school operated. This talk will focus on the unprecedented activism these students unfolded at the AA, culminating – after years of confrontation with the school authorities – in a partial return of their voting rights in 1956.
Patrick Zamarian holds master degrees in architecture as well as the history and theory of architecture, both awarded by ETH Zurich. He is working on a PhD thesis on the AA in the postwar era at the University of Liverpool.
These talks (hosted by AA Membership) are being held as part of a wider series, leading up to the centenary of women at the Architectural Association in 2017. This series, organised by AA XX 100 with the collaboration of the Library, Photo Library and Archives, will feature academics who examine different periods of Architectural Association history, focusing on architects and tutors who helped shape architectural practice and profession globally. One of the talks on the immediate postwar period will show how students activism influenced the ethos of the school. The lectures will also highlight the AA’s collections and there will be displays of unique historic material from the AA Collections at each talk.
Venue: AA Lecture Hall, any questions please e-mail events@aaschool.ac.uk
Photos by Eduardo Andreu Gonzalez