Do Not Carry Your Flag Too Low

Actions from Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative

From 8 March to 20 May 2022
Monday to Friday 9:30-17:30, Saturday 14:00-18:00
Archizoom, SG building, EPFL

An exhibition about the inclusiveness of our buildings and common spaces, showing the archive of the radical 1980s feminist architecture practice Matrix. This work explored issues about community and the built environment, and traced the implications of feminist theory and critique on architecture and urban design.

The exhibition also hosts the DRAG(UE) teaching unit, a Cuisine and Literature program around the reconstructed furniture of Berta Rahm’s pavilion by ANNEXE, as well as architecture workshops organized by the Science Promotion Service at EPFL.

Curated by Tiago P. Borges, Teresa Cheung, Silvia Groaz and the collectives la-clique and Trojans.

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EVENTS

Opening Monday 7 March 2022, 6 p.m.
With the collectives la-clique and Trojans

Gourmet visit Tuesday 8 March 2022, 12 a.m.
With the curators of the exhibition, on registration

Guided tour of the exhibition Monday 21 March, 5 p.m.
With Jos Boys, visit in English, on registration

Lecture Monday 21 March, 6.30 p.m. 
By Jos Boys, lecture in English
Book launch, Making space by Matrix, Verso edition

Guided tour of the exhibition Tuesday 26 April, 5 p.m.
Cancelled

Online lecture Tuesday 26 April, 6.30 p.m. 
By Jane Rendell, lecture in English

Gourmet visit Monday 2 May, 12 a.m.
With the Archizoom team, visit in French, on registration

Online lecture Monday 9 May, 6.30 p.m. 
By Dolores Hayden, lecture in English

Finissage Friday 20 May, 6 p.m.
Live music & Drinks with Confiture collective

All conferences are also available online. 
Meeting ID : 646 5060 5823

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ANNEXE : CUISINE AND ARCHITECTURE

A series of events proposing meetings, discussions, food preparation and degustations around the reconstructed kitchenette and furniture of Berta Rahm’s pavilion by Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins and Myriam Uzor within the ANNEXE project. A program organized by Marie Walliser.

Debate Monday 11 April 2022, 3 p.m and 6.30 p.m
Collective cooking preparation with the products of Castor Freegan followed by a debate organized by the Réseau femme et SIA and hosted by the podcast Les Poissons sans Bicyclettes.

Meeting Monday May 9 2022, 12.30 p.m and 1.30 p.m
Presentation by ANNEXE team followed by a collective cooking preparation with the products of Castor Freegan.

Banquet Thursday 12 May 2022
Organized by the DRAG Lab.

Book launch Thursday 19 May 2022
Food and Architecture by Craig Vezone & Cristina Woods.

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DRAG(UE) TEACHING UNIT

Wednesdays from 28.03 to 18.05.2022, 1 – 5 p.m.

The DRAG(U.E.) teaching unit proposes to explore the built environment (socially and physically) through its performativity (Butler, 1990) by introducing the perspectives offered by gender studies, queer theories, de/postcolonial studies and urban sociology. 

Organized by Marion Fonjallaz, Morgane Hofstetter, Julien Lafontaine, Gianna Ledermann, Claire Logoz et Nagy Makhlouf.

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WORKSHOP :  STEP INTO AN ARCHITECT SHOES

Tuesday 19 April to Friday 22 April 2022, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
For 11 to 13 year olds, on registration.

After a visit of the exhibition specially dedicated to young people, a model-making workshop will allow them to imagine and build a recreational space. The goal of the animation is to make the participants aware of their environment and how it is built and used. The workshop will focus on understanding the spaces in which we socialize and reflect on how these recreational spaces are adopted and transformed by our own desires and by our interrelationships with others.

Workshops organized by Anna Pontais, Science Promotion Service at EPFL.

INTRODUCTION 

The actions presented in the exhibition were made by a collective of women known as Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative. They were active in London between the 1980s and the 1990s and shared a concern about the way buildings and cities work for everyone. They specialised in working with people, groups and organisations who have traditionally been excluded from the design process. They were architects, teachers in higher education, researchers, mothers, builders, journalists.

Matrix originated from the late 1970s New Architecture Movement, a mixed group of socialist architects, students, teachers and builders. They were concerned about making architects more accountable and questioned the relationship between user and architect, and between architect and builder. From unstructured exploratory discussion, in the autumn of 1980 a group of women moved to more formal meetings and formed the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative. The foundation of the Co-op marked the beginning of a conscious movement to recognize and explore the potential of women in architecture.

In opening up broad questions on architecture, its agents and production, the exhibition addresses three main complementary and necessary concerns: building design and supervision, education, training.

Acknowledgement Credits