Zaha Hadid to be celebrated with 2-day public symposium as part of a year of commemorations
On the 10th anniversary of her death on 31 March 2016, the Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF), Architectural Association and Serpentine Galleries are pleased to announce they will co-present a 2-day public symposium in October to reflect upon and celebrate the architect’s enduring legacy and influence.
The Symposium will take place in London and will be a highlight of a year of commemorative events that will also see the re-opening, in autumn, of ZHF’s building at 10 Bowling Green Lane—formerly Zaha’s office—as a public cultural space presenting a robust program of exhibitions, talks, workshops and residencies.
In addition, today, the Municipality of Milan officially named a street in honour of the architect. The pedestrian thoroughfare, called Via Zaha Hadid, is located in Milan’s CityLife district where Zaha oversaw the design of the CityLife Residences (2004-2014), CityLife Shopping District (2004-2017) and 170-meter-tall Generali Tower (2004-2018). The dedication was attended by Hanif Kara, Trustee of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, and Aric Chen, the foundation’s Director.
Public Symposium
Timed to approach what would have been Zaha’s 76th birthday in October, the public Symposium will take place with talks held across the three partner venues: ZHF’s Bowling Green Lane campus, the Architectural Association and Serpentine Galleries. Celebrating Zaha’s life, work and legacy, its two days will blend personal recollections with rigorous scholarship and include presentations, conversations, keynotes and panel discussions.
The Symposium will culminate with an evening at the Serpentine Galleries, featuring a keynote and panel discussion with emerging, interdisciplinary practitioners. Paying homage to Zaha’s well-known mantra “There should be no end to experimentation,” the panel will explore what experimentation means today.
Zaha had close ties with both the AA and Serpentine. She studied at the AA from 1972 to 1977, winning its prestigious Diploma Prize in the latter year, and continued to teach there until 1987. At the Serpentine, where she served as a Trustee from 1996 until her death in 2016, Zaha designed the inaugural Serpentine Pavilion in 2000 and was also the architect of the permanent extension of the Serpentine North Gallery (2009-2013).
This anniversary year, we invite you to join us as we launch a series of commemorative initiatives supporting both contemporary practitioners and Zaha’s legacy: a legacy in motion.