Albuquerque-based architecture professor, artist, and writer Nora Wendl presents her book Almost Nothing: Reclaiming Edith Farnsworth.
This course focuses on the history of the canonical Dr. Edith Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe in rural Plano, Illinois, in 1951. Rather than simply recounting past histories of the house that discredit the client as a mere devotee (or perhaps lover) of the architect, Wendl’s revision of this history engages with the question of Edith Farnsworth’s ambition and desire for this house, and the larger forces that informed her life. Focusing on what Farnsworth and Mies had in common, and the questions and interests that informed their approach to this structure, this book understands the desire to build this remarkable glass and steel house as their mutual endeavor. Though Mies van der Rohe referred to the house as “bienahe nichts,” or “almost nothing,” this lecture reveals that it was much more.
Can histories of architecture expand to include an understanding of the client’s desires? This course will test this question and more.
Upon attending this meeting, architects will have the opportunity to earn 1 Learning Unit in HSW and be able to purchase a signed copy of Wendl's book.
