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jeniferdlanceau · 7 years

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On International Women's Day, 50 inspirational women in architecture and design

To celebrate International Women's Day, the Dezeen editorial team has nominated 50 women and female-led studios from the architecture and design industry who inspire us. In no particular order...

Neri Oxman Nominated by Alice Morby

There are few people that have done more to push the boundaries of 3D printing than MIT Media Lab professor Neri Oxman. Her pioneering design research projects have resulted in a pavilion constructed by silkworms and robots, a technique for 3D printing glass and a haunting collection of death masks.

Tatiano Bilbao Nominated by Amy Frearson

She shot to fame designing a residence for artist Gabriel Orozco, yet Mexico-based Bilbao gets far more excited talking about her ideas for overhauling the homes of the country's poorest. She was previously an advisor to Mexico City's housing department, and has used that experience to develop innovative solutions that could change lives – like the adaptable house she presented at the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial.

The Eklund sisters of Swedish flooring company Bolon

Front Nominated by Rima Sabina Aouf

There aren't many designers who would respond to a brief from Marcel Wanders to design "a lamp that even my grandmother would like" with a life-size horse, but that chutzpah is what sets Front apart. Although only two (Anna Lindgren and Sofia Lagerkvist) of the original foursome remain, they've been standard-bearers for collective creative leadership in an industry too often ruled by egos.

Es Devlin Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The hyper-energetic, hyper-intelligent stage designer has worked with practically every big name in the music business, most recently masterminding Katy Perry's politically charged appearances at the Grammys and the Brits, but still dedicates significant amounts of time to her first (but less financially lucrative) love, the theatre, collaborating regularly with the National Theatre in London.

Jane Duncan Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The current RIBA president, only the third woman to hold the post, is a breath of fresh air at the rather stuffy, male-dominated institution. She ensured the late Zaha Hadid got a long-overdue Royal Gold Medal and, at the other end of the scale, has introduced warmth through simple touches such as asking guests at formal RIBA dinners to show their appreciation by applauding the kitchen staff.

Odile Decq, advocate for gender equality in architecture

Grafton Architects Nominated by Eleanor Gibson

Irish duo Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are among the most well-respected architects in the industry, thanks not only to their powerful but poetic architectural style, but also to their warm personalities. Their Dublin-based firm Grafton Architects is nearly 40 years old, but is showing no signs of slowing down – in the last 12 months they won the inaugural RIBA International Prize for a Peru university, and were chosen to curate the next Venice Architecture Biennale.

Vivienne Westwood Nominated by Rima Sabina Aouf

She's one of the original punks, and certainly the one who's stayed the most relevant. Vivienne Westwood is always in the headlines for something, and usually something good – like walking her own runway at 75, posing in a "Don't let an older generation decide your future" T-shirt, or campaigning for action on climate change.

Lucy McRae's fictional examination of the ways travellers to outer space

Marie and Annika Eklund Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The Eklund sisters have transformed Swedish flooring company Bolon into a glamorous international brand through a compelling mixture of hard work, boldness of vision and a strong dose of charm. Hats off too to their (largely) female team, including chief marketing and sales officer Helen Emanuelsson and project leader Petra Ek.

Christine Murray Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The editor of both the Architects Journal and Architectural Review, Murray has worked tirelessly to promote women in the profession and is the brains behind the titles' Women in Architecture initiative. Earlier this year she was rewarded with a well-deserved RIBA fellowship, partly for her work in this field.

Selly Raby Kane Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The visionary young Senegalese fashion designer has long ploughed her own furrow, creating an alternative universe of cosmic fashion and graphics, upending African cliches in the process. A unique and independent force.

Sadie Morgan, partner at London architect dRMM

Camille Walala Nominated by Eleanor Gibson

With a personality as vibrant as her colourful designs, Walala is renowned for her Memphis-style paintwork. Her grand canvases continue to pop up everywhere, adorning everything from a cloakroom at London's Roundhouse to a WeWork co-working office. She has even applied it to a zebra crossing.

Roksanda Ilincic Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The Serbian-born fashion designer and neighbour of Dezeen has dressed powerful women including Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron (Melania Trump bought her number off the peg) but eschews the airs and graces of other fashion royalty, remaining down-to-earth and accessible.

Grafton Architects's University campus in Peru

Sadie Morgan Nominated by Marcus Fairs

A partner at London architect dRMM, Morgan has become the most politically connected architect in the UK and the most convincing advocate of the importance of design we have. She manages to achieve this while giving the impression the whole thing is a huge giggle, which is all the more impressive since she fought off breast cancer last year.

Nelly Ben Hayoun Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The magnetic French designer is a force of nature and a genuine pioneer, speaking ten to the dozen while painting visionary pictures of non-standard topics such as space travel and undersea exploration. Yet unlike many stargazers, Ben Hayoun tends to pull off her visions, collaborating with everyone from NASA and the SETI Institute to Icelandic post-rock ground Sigur Rós.

Camille Walala'a multicoloured pedestrian crossing for London street

Lucy McRae Nominated by Eleanor Gibson

Self-proclaimed 'body architect' and previous Dezeen collaborator, McRae's cutting-edge work continues to pioneer ways that design could prep us for space and the future. Her visionary projects range from a human vacuum chamber to an institute of isolation.

Julia Peyton-Jones Nominated by Amy Frearson

A true British icon, Julia Peyton-Jones has been one of the world's biggest patrons of contemporary architecture. By launching the now world-famous Serpentine Pavilion programme, she has championed talents like Sou Fujimoto and Selgascano. Her retirement was a surprise to many, as was the news that, at 64, she has become a mother – yet somehow she deals with every situation with grace and style.

Patricia Urquiola Nominated by Rima Sabina Aouf

It can't have been fun being the only woman in a room sometimes, but we're immensely thankful designer Patricia Urquiola stuck it out in the business these 27 years. Not only has the now art director of Cassina paved the way for so many others, her colourful furniture and characterful homeware consistently impress.

Natalie Massenet Nominated by Dan Howarth

A British entrepreneur who built a global e-commerce empire, Massenet founded online designer fashion portal Net-a-Porter in 2000. Fifteen years later, the company had generated £1.32 billion in revenue. Having stepped down from that role – gaining a damehood in the meantime – she is now poised to catapult competitor site Farfetch to similar success, and also serves as chairman of the British Fashion Council.

Yana Peel, CEO of the Serpentine

Ilse Crawford Nominated by Alice Morby

A hugely inspirational figure, Ilse Crawford has been a pioneer in interior design. As the founding editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration UK, she offered an much-needed alternative to the chintzy British home, while her design office Studioilse has shown how minimalism and warmth can go hand in hand. She has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry, from IKEA to Vitra, but is still an incredibly warm and likeable character.

Odile Decq Nominated by Jessica Mairs

"Radical goth" Odile Decq is well known for her bold architectural and personal style. She has been forthright in her advocacy for gender equality in the profession throughout her career, and scooped a number of awards recognising it. Shunning teaching positions at prestigious institutions across the globe, she founded her own architecture school – the Confluence Institute – three years ago to challenge conservative and outdated teaching methods.

Marwa Al-Sabouni Nominated by Olivia Mull

Syrian architect Marwa Al-Sabouni remained in her home city of Homs, essentially imprisoned, for two years during the Syrian civil war. Through her memoir, writings for global magazines and newspapers, and a TED talk, Al-Sabouni has become an outspoken advocate of rebuilding the half-destroyed city. Her work is defined by courage, resilience and optimism – she is brilliant.

Paula Scher Nominated by Trudie Carter

Scher became the first female principal at design firm Pentagram in the early 90s and went on to become one of the most prolific and successful graphic designers in, not only the firm, but the industry. She is known for her cut-and-paste postmodernist style, which she has used in in the rebranding of major institutions, such as MoMa and the New York City Ballet.

SANAA's completed sinuous building of glass, concrete, steel

Kazuyo Sejima Nominated by Olivia Mull

Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima is one half of multi-award-winning partnership SANAA, but also a prolific designer in her own right. Despite being publicity shy, Sejima has risen to a cult-like status in the architecture world. She is probably the most respected architect in Japan which, in such a male-dominated culture and industry, is remarkable.

Katie Eary Nominated by Trudie Carter

Menswear designer Katie Eary has built a fashion empire at just 29 years old. Surreal prints and animal iconography regularly feature in her runway collections, and cropped up on homeware in her 2016 collaboration with IKEA.

Maria Balshaw, first female director the Tate galleries

Maria Balshaw Nominated by Eleanor Gibson

The impressive Balshaw has just become the first female director the Tate galleries, encompassing Tate Modern and Tate Britain in London, as well as Tate St Ives and Tate Liverpool. The appointment recognises her immense contribution to Manchester's arts and culture activities, where she oversaw the much-praised expansion of The Whitworth.

Elise Roy Nominated by Trudie Carter

Human rights advocate Elise Roy was thrust into the spotlight after her TED talk on designing for disability went viral last year. Deaf from age 10, Elise argues persuasively for a human-centred design approach towards solving everyday problems.

Denise Scott Brown's Queen Anne chair in collaboration with Robert Venturi

Denise Scott Brown Nominated by Jessica Mairs

Despite being one of the founders of the postmodern movement, Denise Scott Brown became over-shadowed by her husband and partner when only he was awarded the Pritzker Prize. Over 20 years later, she bravely spoke out about the snub – and ended up shining a huge spotlight on misogyny in the profession. Pritzker refused to budge on its decision, but Scott Brown has since been awarded both the AIA Gold Medal and the Jane Drew Prize for a lifetime of outstanding work.

Bethan Laura Wood Nominated by Amy Frearson

Wood's larger-then-life character is inescapable – not only in the vividly hued ceramics and furniture pieces she produces, but also in the flamboyant outfits she puts together (and especially when she matches them all). She is an outstanding role model for anyone who has ever feared being different.

Yana Peel Nominated by Olivia Mull

Since being named CEO of the Serpentine last summer, philanthropist and entrepreneur Yana Peel has put in place an exciting and innovative tech-focused curatorial programme. She is championing all things digital as a means to create experiences that go beyond traditional exhibitions. Peel also holds many advisory positions across the arts, she is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, and the author of a bestselling children's book.

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter's climate research and visitor centre in Greenland

Jeanne Gang Nominated by Dan Howarth

The tallest building designed by a woman is the work of American architect Jeanne Gang, whose 348-metre Vista skyscraper is under construction in Chicago. Her firm Studio Gang is working on high-profile projects worldwide, from the extension of New York's American Museum of Natural History to a new US embassy in Brasilia.

Dorte Mandrup Nominated by Jessica Mairs

Since setting up her eponymous Copenhagen studio in the late 90s, Mandrup has been quietly churning out beautiful and sensitive additions to the Nordic countryside and cityscape. We've published just a handful of her projects, but they earned her a place at 177 among the architects included on the Dezeen Hot List – a testament to how well received they have been.

Lindsey Adelman Nominated by Dan Howarth

Lindsey Adelman is a pioneer of New York’s lighting design scene and a key figure in the city's burgeoning industry. Since setting up her eponymous studio in 2006, the American designer has sold her work through international galleries and fostered talents including Bec Brittain and Mary Wallis.

Bec Brittain, American lighting designer

Bec Brittain Nominated by Dan Howarth

A protégé of Lindsey Adelman, Bec Brittain has dazzled the New York lighting scene with her own sculptural designs, and has become one of the city's brightest talents. The former architect uses her background to create more angular and technical-looking pieces that sets her apart from her peers.

Polish photographer Alicja Dobrucka photographs houses disguised as tents in a village in the West Bank

Alicja Dobrucka Nominated by Eleanor Gibson

Polish architecture photographer Dobrucka continues to travel far and wide to produce images that tell interesting stories, from documenting the rapid growth of skyscraper construction in Mumbai, India, to Le Corbusier's 1960s Dominican convent near Lyon, France, and more recently studying the seemingly temporary dwellings of a West Bank village.

Simone Rocha Nominated by Dan Howarth

Following in the footsteps of a wildly successful father can be daunting, but Simone Rocha found her own feet on the UK's fashion scene. She has captivated the industry with her feminine floral designs that are soft and feminine yet powerful, and her London Fashion Week shows are among the most anticipated each season.

Morag Myerscough's brightly coloured children's hospital in northern England

Morag Myerscough Nominated by Trudie Carter

When many architects dress head-to-toe in black, Myerscough is often the only person in the room wearing neon brights – an approach that acts as metaphor for her design approach. Since founding her London-based multidisciplinary studio, she has been on a mission to bring boldness and diversity to the industry, and has applied her vibrant graphic style to everything from hospital wards to the Barbican Centre.

Paola Antonelli Nominated by Dan Howarth

As MoMA's senior curator of architecture and design, the dynamic Paola Antonelli is transforming the museum's archive with her rapid-response approach to collecting. It has so far resulted in acquisitions that include universal symbols like the Rainbow Flag, @, and the original set of emoji. But her dreams are much bigger – her hope is to add a Boeing 747 to the MoMA collection.

Faye Toogood's gender neutral retail space in London's Selfridges

Faye Toogood Nominated by Alice Morby

From furniture to fashion design, Toogood applies a thoughtful process and signature aesthetic to every design. Her gender-neutral retail spaces for London's Selfridges pushed the issue of gender fluidity into the mainstream – and many high-street fashion retailers following suit by creating their own genderless collections.

Iris van Herpen's hand-blown glass ball dress

Iris Van Herpen Nominated by Alice Morby

Fashion and technology combine with (literally) electrifying results in Iris Van Herpen's collections. She has used everything from 3D-printing and magnetism to create and even "grow" ephemeral gowns and sculptural silhouettes, presenting them on models in vacuum packs and high-voltage cages. In 2011, she became the youngest member to join Paris' Haute Couture calendar, but remains modest and humble about her growing success.

Frida Escobedo, emerging architect in Mexico. Photography courtesy of Flickr user Columbia GSAPP

Frida Escobedo Nominated by Jessica Mairs

One of the hottest young architects to emerge from Mexico's burgeoning design scene, Escobedo was selected to represent the country during a year-long celebration of Mexican culture in the UK. Her influences are broad-ranging – from the Aztec patterns that inspired her installation at the V&A museum to the delicate latticed overlay she created for a 1960s-inspired painting studio in Cuernavaca.

vPPR Nominated by Amy Frearson

This London-based architectural studio is sadly one of very few run solely by women. But its founders, Tatiana von Preussen, Catherine Pease and Jessica Reynolds, haven't let that get in their way – in fact they use it to their advantage; they claim it helps them offer something different in a competitive industry. The trio have only completed a few projects so far, but their imaginative Vaulted House suggests we can expect great things from them.

Paloma Strelitz, member of London-based architecture studio Assemble

Paloma Strelitz Nominated by Amy Frearson

Exactly how many members make up architecture collective Assemble is not always clear, but Strelitz is easily the most memorable, thanks to the confidence she exudes when talking (quite articulately) about the team's many achievements. Despite winning the Turner Prize, she and her partners are still promoting the same community-focused approach to architecture that brought them together.

Deborah Berke Nominated by Dan Howarth

American architect Deborah Berke simultaneously runs a busy New York studio of more than 50 people and acts as dean of Yale’s prestigious architecture school. Her current projects include the transformation of a former prison on Manhattan's West Side into a permanent home for the women’s rights movement.

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg's work focuses on the ethical dilemmas of the future

Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg Nominated by Marcus Fairs

A pioneering young designer exploring how design can help guide humanity through the ethical dilemmas of the future. Her engagement with scientists, working on synthetic biology for example, has helped put the spotlight on the potential for artificial lifeforms.

Tea Uglow Nominated by Marcus Fairs

The transgender creative director of Google's Creative Lab in Sydney is at the forefront of exploring how human intelligence and creativity relates to, and differs from, artificial intelligence and creativity. With her talk containing the catchphrase "Doubt is cool", she was one of the outstanding speakers at this year’s Design Indaba conference.

Kate Moross, art director, illustrator and graphic designer. Photography courtesy of Flickr user Richard Moross

Kate Moross Nominated by Marcus Fairs

Another standout speaker from Design Indaba, Moross is a prolific, convention-defying art director, illustrator and graphic designer who most recently designed stage sets for the MTV Music Video Awards and One Direction's tour.

Sarah Herda Nominated by Amy Frearson

It's hard not to like Sarah Herda, so it's fantastic to know she's the decision-maker behind one of the world's most influential art funds, the Graham Foundation. The charity has helped fund everything from the Serpentine Pavilion to the National Building Museum in Washington DC. But there are plenty more strings to her bow, as she proved by rounding up a stellar list of contributors to the first Chicago Architecture Biennial, which she co-curated alongside Joseph Grima.

Pauline van Dongen's experimental athletics apparel made from the same material that contraceptives brand Skyn uses to make its condoms

Pauline van Dongen Nominated by Trudie Carter

This Dutch fashion designer is a rising star in the world of wearable tech. She has gained notoriety for her solar-powered garments and smart tops that corrects posture, but is also an active keynote speaker and lecturer.

Emily Johnson Nominated by Marcus Fairs

A fifth-generation descendent of a Stoke on Trent pottery family, Johnson relaunched her defunkt family firm as 1882 Ltd through a mixture of vision, design and business acumen, providing a template for revitalising traditional industries.

And finally...

Dezeen editorial team Nominated by Marcus Fairs

Until recent male recruit Danil Boparai joined us at the end of last year the Dezeen editorial team in London was exclusively female (Dan Howarth, the only other guy, moved to New York a year ago to head up our US operation). Led by Amy Frearson, you will never find a more hard-working or dedicated team anywhere in architecture and design publishing (or anywhere else for that matter).

The post On International Women's Day, 50 inspirational women in architecture and design appeared first on Dezeen.

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joshdevinne · 7 years

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Chapter One.

Lilly has always been determined.

Ever since she came out of her mother’s womb – she always had the mindset of not feeling content until she has completed everything she wishes. That probably explained why she became the co founder of one of the most popular fashion apps to date StyleStealer at the age of 20. That would also explain why she owned a house, not a flat, a house, in the middle of Kensington.

Having already achieved your goals in life at such a young age may seem like a dream, but for her it wasn’t enough. She wanted more – she wanted friends and someone to sleep with at night for the rest of her life. With such a busy schedule running a business so established, Lilly hardly had anytime to build real relationships with people and definitely had no time to settle down.

It was London Fashion Week A/W18– one of the most important weeks socially in her calendar, and Lilly was late for one of the most important shows (aside from Burberry) of the week itself – Topshop. The show started at 2pm and even though it’s usually delayed by at least 20 minutes, she didn’t want to lose her front row seat.

Normally people like Lilly only get to sit in the third or fourth rows, however her recent outings with a certain miss Chung have seemed to place her in the public eye as well as the business.

It was 5 minutes to 2 and Lilly’s taxi was pulling in towards the Tate, this years Topshop Showspace – when a swarm of photographers ran up to the door ready to capture a quick shot of her entering the building.

She had never received so much attention; I mean sure, her business had made her a big name in the industry and she was often featured on Vogue’s webpage but Jesus this was new.

Lilly had no agent or friend to cling onto, she was just by herself which made the whole paparazzi scenario even more daunting. She quickly stepped out of the taxi and made her way inside the gallery without too much hassle before being escorted to her seat.

What Lilly didn’t expect to find when taking her seat, was Alexa herself in the space next to her. They had grown to become quite fast friends since they met at the LOVE party held at Albert’s last month and had been spotted at various events together – both in the papers and on each others social media – so to find Alexa sat next to her at the show without a word of notice was quite a surprise.

“Babe! Oh my god I didn’t know you’d be here, what the bloody hell! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Alexa exclaimed.

Lilly scoffed at Alexa’s question, “I always attend the Topshop show babe, you know that. When did you get here? Are you going to anymore shows this week?”

Alexa shook her head before asking “What about you miss busy bee? Have you got anymore to go to?” Lilly nodded as she began to take her place, the show was starting in couple of minutes. “Yeah, one more but it’s tomorrow. The Burberry show, it’s gonna be mayhem I’m dreading it.”

Alexa smirked at Lilly’s negative outlook on the show, as it was known to be the anticipated of the London quarter. “Cheer up hun, it’s hardly the worst thing in the world. Chris’ collections are always phenomenal. I’m gutted I can’t go but I’ve got that shoot in New York the next day. You know the one I was telling you about when we went to Soho House?” Lilly nodded, guessing she should be more enthusiastic about the show, especially considering it would be her first time attending let alone sitting front row again.

The Topshop show was over and done with before Lilly knew and somehow she ended up back at Alexa’s suite in the Edition Hotel. Lilly planned on staying in the suite for only an hour, however considering she was staying in the room a floor down she decided to stay for a little bit longer until she had to get ready for the dinner Vogue was hosting.

“Prada or Erdem?” Lilly looked up from her phone to see Alexa’s stylist holding two outfits on either side of her body.

“Erdem, I can see myself in it more – the Prada looks too complicated.” Alexa stated before turning her head to Lilly. “What are you wearing Lil?”

Lilly told her about the dress she was gifted from Christopher Kane’s new collection before realizing that she hadn’t left much time to spare for herself to get ready for the event. “Oh bollocks! I’ve only got two hours to get ready myself, I better head down to my room.”

Alexa rolled her eyes “Babe, you’ll be fine, you have ages.” Lilly shook her head at Alexa’s low maintenance attitude; “We don’t all have the pleasure of a stylist following us around wherever we go. We’re not all Alexa Chung.” Alexa sighed at Lilly’s weak insult before telling her that she was meet her down in the hotel lobby before they would have to leave.

The car journey to the Royal Albert Hall, where the Vogue dinner was being held of course, was extremely long. 20 minutes into the ride, Alexa’s phone rang “Grim! Are you already there?!”

Lilly could hear muffling coming from the other end of the line, assuming she was talking to Nick Grimshaw – Radio DJ and one of Alexa’s best friends – by the nickname she used when answering. “Shit, that’s crap! I really wanted you and Lils to meet, you’d have got along so well. Do you know if Dais is going tonight? She hasn’t replied to my text.” Another few minutes of back and fourth chat took part before Alexa hung up and turned her body towards Lilly.

“That was Nick, he said he can’t make it tonight, no idea why though.” Lilly nodded before asking if Daisy was attending the dinner, she’d met her a couple of times with and without Alexa, liking her enough to wonder whether she’d be hanging out with them for the evening.

“Yeah she’ll be there, Nick said her hair stylist cancelled on the job last minute so she’s been having a bit of trouble getting ready.” Lilly nodded before replying with a short but enthusiastic “good.”

The grips in her hair were beginning to feel lose, even after a mount of hairspray and gel – her long blonde hair was beginning to unwind from the updo she spent ages getting right. Eventually after much hassle trying to fix the hairstyle whilst in a moving vehicle, she gave up and tore her masterpiece apart, letting her tresses fall down her back.

Lilly had always took great care in her appearance, even as a little girl. People would always say she took the best genes from each of her parents, with her fathers thick blonde hair and bright green eyes, her mothers full lips. She still had plenty of insecurities of course, like her old chin – one which she had surgery on when she was 18 as she thought it was too long. Her outfits were always chosen with great care and precision to each event and occasion, always spending a lot of money with plenty of big names taking up the room in her wardrobe.

Her family were definitely what people would call ‘well off’ – her father being the CEO of a hotel chain and her mother being one of the most sought after directors in the advertising business – she would easily admit that she would probably had never been able to achieve all of her success if it wasn’t for theirs.

That’s why attending high profile events had become sort of a ‘normal’ for her, as her parents would have her tag along with them when she was a child. However, herself being pushed into the spotlight was an entirely new ordeal. In all honestly, without her becoming a sort-of socialite over the past couple of months, no one would care to invite her to events such as the dinner that she was on the way to, even her app had began to gain more coverage since her and Alexa had met.

Before they reached their destination, Lilly had managed to fix her hair, touch up her makeup and check in with her personal assistant about her schedule for tomorrow.

The Royal Albert Hall had been transformed into the most exquisite dining room. A large oval shaped mahogany table took up the center of the room, with bouquets on bouquets of flowers outlining the perimeter of the hall. The stage inside the hall had a large screen placed on top, showing repetitive images and videos of the magazine’s stars throughout the years.

She and Alexa took their places – Alexa with Daisy on her opposite side and Lilly with Edie Campbell on hers – before being given a glass of white wine. The night went ahead with a 7 course meal, speeches from new editor in chief Natalie Massenet and a hell of a lot more drink. Lilly knew a few faces around the table from previous events she attended, however there were a mix of others whom she had no idea of and who she saw across the headlines yet had never actually met. Lilly’s vision had grown weak from the alcohol very quickly, but didn’t stop for a glass of water to sober her up – she certainly earned the right to the title of ‘socialite’.

The Vogue dinner seemed like almost a complete blur. Lilly didn’t know what happened, she swore she hadn’t had too much to drink – albeit a few glasses of chardonnay. She woke up wrapped under the satin sheets that her hotel bed had provided for her, her brain feeling hazy and not completely up to scratch. Checking the time, she slowly made her way out from beneath the covers and over to the ensuite bathroom to get in the shower. As she only had one show today, which didn’t start until 7 in the evening mind you, she had every reason to take her time and pamper herself.

Alexa sent her a message in the early hours to inform her that she was leaving for the airport but not before sending her pictures taken of Lilly in a very uncharacteristic manner with Douglas Booth cradling her like a baby on his lap. If that wasn’t bad enough – pictures had already surfaced the internet of her and Alexa stumbling into their car around an area which looked like Shoreditch. Lilly let out a groan before checking her appearance in the mirror, at least the drinking hadn’t affected that too much.

After breakfast, a quick trip to Selfridges, a pamper session at the spa and lunch, Lilly headed back to her hotel suite in preparation for her VIP stylists – hair, makeup and outfit all courtesy of Burberry of course – to come over.

2 hours turned into 30 minutes and soon she was being ushered out of the hotel into the car which the girls over at the Burberry PR team had booked for her. She was nervous, this was her first time attending the show and the fact that she was sitting front row was unbelievably exciting yet also nerve wracking.

Sarah, one of the girls at Burberry in the car with her, was running through the schedule with Lilly as they made their way through central London to the venue.

“Ok, so we’re going to make our way out of the car and into the press tent where you’ll be photographed and then maybe do some interviews if you want? If not we can head straight into the show, whatever’s best for you!”

Lilly gave Sarah a quick smile before requesting, “Interviews are fine, there wont be any hard hitting questions though right?”

Sarah shook her head vigorously, “No, of course not – each member of press has been given a run through with our PR team on what questions are and aren’t allowed to be asked, nothing inappropriate will me asked.”

Lilly let a grin break through her otherwise uptight demure and shared her gratitude before silence once again filled the car on the length of their journey.

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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Laurie Anderson: I see Lou all the time. Hes a continued, powerful presence

Over seitan and tofu in New York, the avant-garde performance artist talks about her Buddhism and loss and love for her mother and her late husband Lou Reed

Long after shes left, Ill still be thinking about Laurie Andersons pumpkin-coloured jacket. I see it through the window of the restaurant, this big daub of colour amid all the greys and blacks of a New York winter. Then that colour is inside and here, emerging from it, is Laurie Anderson 69 years old, small, sparkling and wide awake. Her hair, a spiky coronet, stands on end as if permanently electrified by the brain beneath. When shes smiling, which is most of the time, she looks even more impish. The jacket, this big fat orange thing, puffy to the point of spherical, should be plain absurd, but on her I cant help seeing it as extension of her own being. For decades, Anderson has been disarming us with searching and playful work that dovetails these same qualities: the spiritual and the silly. In the early 80s she was hailed as one of the most exciting figures in experimental art and she remains our foremost performance artist, inspiring something so often lacking in avant-garde work humour and affection. Thats certainly the tenor of her most recent work, Heart of a Dog, which the New York Times called a dreamy, drifty and altogether lovely movie. Narrated by Anderson and comprising animated drawings and old home video, its a roaming, looping consideration of various loves and losses: her dog, her mother, and her husband, the musician Lou Reed, who died in 2013. It opens with Birth of Lola, in which Anderson recounts, in detail, a dream about giving birth to her rat terrier. I imagine many women must feel that intense, bodily love for their pet yet its not exactly socially acceptable to admit to it.

Thats why its good to start a film or a book that way, she whispers. Just to kind of go right on out there.

Were in Blossom, a vegan mainstay where Anderson is a regular, even if she isnt, strictly speaking, vegetarian. I have been known to eat steak, she says, although it doesnt happen very often, especially not since she read her friend Matthieu Ricards book, A Plea for the Animals. Hes a Buddhist monk and writer, she says. He just demolishes every single argument that we have for eating meat.

We have a quick look at our meatless menu. I wonder what a soy bacon cheeseburger is! she says, amused. I might get that, it sounds ridiculous. Then again: Maybe theres something thats not pretending to be something else, lets see. They make seitan really well here, actually, I might have that.

And from processed wheat gluten, we somehow easily move to the topic of maternal love. Or lack thereof: in the film Anderson makes the calm revelation that she didnt love her mother. Its true, you know? she says. Women are meant to be all-loving, always no one else is, but women are. I think its even harder for people just to say, My mother didnt love me. Because then youre questioning the whole system.

Did her mother love her?

She was not someone who really knew how to do that, she says. She taught me other things. She taught me how to love books, music.

Anderson grew up in a small town in Illinois, with three sisters and four brothers and, after college in California, made her way to New York where she studied sculpture. By the 70s, shed found her tribe among the avant-garde artists of downtown New York. Her contemporaries included musicians such as Philip Glass and she began experimenting with technology and performance. None of us thought we would ever make a living doing art, she says.

Nor did she ever think she might become a pop star. O Superman, a stark, eight-minute track, based on a Massenet opera,, reached No 2 on the UK singles chart in 1981. To Andersons astonishment, a seven-album deal with Warner Brothers followed. The soundtrack to Heart of a Dog constitutes her 12th album.

And then here comes our lunch.

Oh wow, nicely done! she says, her face lighting up at the two little faux-hollandaise suns of my tofu Benedict. Her seitan isnt quite as pretty but, she assures me after a few forkfuls, its delicious. Food is important to her: I cook not as much as I used to. I used to make lunch all the time for the people at the studio. It was taking a huge chunk of the day so now I have someone else do it, but its really important for us at the studio to eat together.

She often talks about how her work is about stories, and what happens when they are told and retold, and I wonder about the stories around how a widow should grieve. Those stories must be compounded, I imagine, when youre the widow of a public figure. As Im saying this a look of blank confusion comes over her face. Its the word widow.

I know I am a widow but thats not my identity, she says. But it also wasnt my identity to be husband and wife although we were. Partner would be more what I thought.

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Reeds death seems to have granted her not sadness so much as a kind of rapture. In an essay for Rolling Stone she wrote: I had gotten to walk with him to the end of the world. Life so beautiful, painful and dazzling does not get better than that. And death? I believe that the purpose of death is the release of love.

Those doors open maybe once in your life, she tells me, or if youre lucky, twice, and you get to see all this stuff. And that door will open again when you have to face your own death, but you get a chance to think about it and see it and feel it. Its overwhelming. It filled me with happiness. I wasnt prepared for that I was supposed to be grief-stricken. Instead, it was kind of an ecstatic experience, and it continues to be. It caused my world to open up, and I understood things or began to understand things in a different way.

Such as?

For example, were supposedly here eating lunch in some way, but were actually not here, right? and her smile grows wider in invitation. Life is a constant hallucination.

It doesnt surprise me that she speaks about Reed in the present tense.

Lou is the most wonderful person Ive ever met and I think of him all the time and hes completely inspiring to me. I miss him enormously, but theres no point in being sad. I see him all the time, hes always here, a continued, really powerful presence. I think a lot of other people feel the same way because he was such a strong character that just doesnt dissipate that quickly. I just wish I could hear what he would have to say about Trump. That would be something.

For her, the biggest shock of the US election was the misogyny.

People get swayed pretty easily to think what the so-called norm is. So when people are screaming lock her up [at Hillary Clinton] its so hideous. Or hang her I dont think people are outraged enough about that. Almost half the country talking that way.

She admits that this has been a challenge to her Buddhist practice: how do you find loving compassion for someone shouting sexist invective? And yet: I feel guilty what was I doing the last 20 years? Had I noticed that people had slipped out of the middle class? I was saying that to a friend about Trump supporters theyre just hungry. And she said, Yeah, but a lot of them are just assholes who just hate women. Dont try to make it so sweet.

I dont think, though, that Anderson can help that sweetness. Its part of her.

Particularly at the end of your life, she insists, theres always this idea of goodness, you never feel like you deserve it, and the fact is, you do. One of the things that blew Lous mind is the idea that were here to have a good time. Not to suffer. No, to be here for total joy, bliss.

And as we talk a little more about death I start to feel Im cocooned inside a big orange jacket a lifejacket, in fact.

The film and album Heart Of A Dog are out now on Nonesuch