A New Model for Recognition

New Models is a lecture series that invites practitioners to discuss how their work can change the models around which society is organised. These conversations will address how we can shift power structures, socio-economic forces and structural inequalities present in society today to give us new tools to rethink the world around us.​

What if it’s not about recognition but instead about love. Do you LOVE us?

Why do we find ourselves waiting to be acknowledged for our ideas? For the invitation to contribute to a platform provided by people that don’t look like us. (Although we can do without the photographer's recognition that we are the only ethnic at an architecture event). Or to be given some random accolade by an institution that was not created by us, or for us?

But craving recognition is vulgar right? Not if we create an alternative vision of celebration for the future, unrecognisable to the systems we have now. Sound Advice, SaLADs and Siufan Adey (Afterparti / Panic FM) will discuss how to design New Models of Recognition (and love) as a tool to deliver a more equitable built environment.

Sound Advice

Sound Advice is a platform exploring spatial inequality. Mixing social commentary and music, it is a space to debate provocative issues and advise on how to make change through advice linked to tunes. It is co-hosted by Pooja Agrawal and Joseph Henry, urbanists who met working at the Greater London Authority. They share their interests for fighting inequality both in the built environment and in the sector. Between them they have designed, client-ed, educated, created social enterprises and advocated for change. They also love music. Sound Advice was born out of these shared passions in the form of an article written for the Afterparti zine in 2019. It now takes a variety of different formats, including visual podcasts, DJ sets and a media channel.

SaLADS (Amanda Rashid, Ioana Bereza, Priscilla Fernandes, Tahera Rouf)

The SaLADS founders are Amanda Rashid, Ioana Bereza, Priscilla Fernandes and Tahera Rouf. In 2013 they started visiting significant and interesting buildings in and around London as a group of friends and colleagues. Since then they have grown into a collective of over 300 members (ladies and lads) and have organised tours around some of the UK’s best buildings with their leading designers. Aside from SaLADS, the four are qualified architects, working in the private and public sector and have delivered outstanding building projects (at Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture, RCKa, Squires & Partners and Public Practice). We are friends, collaborators, mothers and continue to support each other through our strong friendship.

Siufan Adey

Siufan Adey works collaboratively across publishing, curation and film. She is a founding member of Afterparti, an writing-and-curation collective that platforms underrepresented voices and critiques the built environment through the lenses of race and identity. She is also a content producer at Dezeen and an alumna of New Architecture Writers.