Zaha Hadid Talking About Challenges of Architecture

so let's tap on architecture as a profession and a thirty year of the Pritzker Prize being a machine you feel only woman Arab architect to have won the prize do you think the profession is gender biased I don't think it's a profession what is it then I think people are biased I mean and women aren't into it then no I think that women well if I observe people who had me at school or people who I taught there were many women architects who actually must be work better and class and land men would not like to hear that man equity good I think is very the continuty is a problem and I think that I mean you know people to really excite anything any level of confidence and encouragement and support and that doesn't exist everywhere in a sense it's almost easier for women to have the support and the encouragement within within actually the Arab world environment because there is a you know you have your family you have you know is their families a larger unit and it's not long it's not about you know their husband and wife and the child so you have a bigger support system and I think like my friends in Iraq who went to architecture or medicine I think in the tough on much easier maybe than their counterparts in the West because they had a support system around them but in the West I mean I had prejudice because I was an Arab and I was oh man also added unconventional stuff so I'm not sure which came first you know one can say all of it together was too much yeah woman and the program was very difficult it might be still difficult it's easier I mean the difference is enormous and 20-30 years the the foreign problem was a was always a problem you know doing things like when in Cardiff just after the Arab Gulf or was not a very popular thing and I do think there was some prejudice there I'm always also I'm I would never never be part of the boys network I mean so you know this part of the interest and tremendous amount of press we don't have many commercial projects in the UK know in America or anywhere I mean maybe in other countries but not in these so who supported you or do you feel like you had to go it alone most of it now I had a tremendous amount of support from my parents from well you know students of mine or colleagues for my teachers from ya miss people I mean I always had a very big kind of CERN following it was still very difficult I mean I bonded to front a scene of mine only a few days ago I'm a senior maybe in mono he keeps in touch with him but haven't seen him in maybe 18 years and he said my god you had to fight I mean I you know I sometimes forget it but it was a fight and but so I know I kind of judge I mean there were endless sleepless nights you know in the office I couldn't do it on my own it's not it's not a architecture unlike all the other things it's not a kind of a lonely profession you know and you've got to do it with a team and team structure is very important and the team is teamwork is very important and because everybody brings something else at the table you know and and I think if we work well together that that that layering on terms of input is a very enriching an exciting process the oxygen is a fantastic profession is very difficult it's extremely there's no reason for it to be so difficult and honestly I mean I saw it said every kid with my mother all great do it is fantastic but it's really I know what I'll do but it's to maybe when I say work on making it easier but it's just too painful you know it's a cause incredible time delicious incredibly inventive and it's very exciting but it's very very demanding you know to do it well and that's why most of us do it badly and people don't some of all of it people don't have respect for you I mean if you're a doctor they don't argue with you how you should treat them feel or than you argue with you how he should advise them if you're an accountant they don't tell you how to make your you know but with the architecture of your musician or whatever I mean all the Arts I would say are not respected enough they're very difficult they think it's kind of some sort of a whimsical you know artistic thing you know but it's very difficult to fine-tune and refine these things you know and in all the professionals in the arts and they're not given enough you know they just could be canceled you have no control how can you control as an architect if you're an artist you know okay you have a problem if people don't want to buy your work or they don't have the money like that now or whatever but you know you can still paint and I can paint or sculpt or whatever so an architect you know you can you can you can dream but you know but if you there is no client there's no you know if things change particularly somewhere there's economic crisis I mean we have no control on it and so it's just tough you

Channel: JOMagazine2003

Views: 289,364

Keywords: zaha hadid, architecture, jo magazine, amman, Jordan, urban design

Id: QcdvMm6c-fU

Length: 6min 32sec (392 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 05 2010