A muse should haunt its host in a good way, inspiring one's practice and work. This influence will serve as the backdrop for the next episode of Architectural Sessions, a conversational series at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, on Friday, October 30, at 6 p.m.
Just in time for Halloween, the talk will center around Haunting Houses." Four architects will share influences that have "haunted" their practice, talking about how they eventually expressed these muses in a project, either built or yet un-built.
"Originally we thought about doing something on haunted houses, but thought that might be a little hokey. Then we just said, 'What about an idea, an influence, an inspiration that haunts your practice and your work, something that stays with you, in your work?'" said Maziar Behrooz, who has an architectural firm by the same name in East Hampton. Mr. Behrooz helps organize the series with Andrea Grover, the curator of special projects at the Parrish. This upcoming talk will be the seventh of the series.
The presenters will be Viola Rouhani, from Stelle, Lomont, Rouhani in Bridgehampton; James Merrell, from James Merrell Architects in Sag Harbor; Jee Won Kim, from Jee Won Kim Architects in New York City, and John Zissovici, from Studio-Z in Ithaca.
Mr. Behrooz declined to specify who will discuss what, wanting to leave an element of surprise. However, he revealed that one presenter will talk about an actor who influenced his or her work, while another will talk about an old historic cottage that ended up inspiring a modern project. The remaining speakers will talk about specific projects by other architects that influenced particular works of their own.
Presented by AIA Peconic and the Parrish, Architectural Sessions is a take on the improvisational mood of jazz with a bit more structure, explained Mr. Behrooz, who also moderates the events. The idea is to make what can be dry industry jargon accessible to those outside the world of architecture, presenting it in a casual, conversational format. It's also rewarding for the presenters.
"By having the conversations at the Parrish, we're opening it up to non-architects as well as architects," said Mr. Behrooz. "So in that way, it forces us to humanize the topic and speak to it in a way that can be understood by the public."
The talk costs $10, which also covers museum admission, and is free for Parrish members, children and students. Reservations are recommended; further information can be found at www.parrishart.org.
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on Oct 24, 2015