Well hello, readers. Is it time for another blog post already? I suppose it is. That being the case, I'm pleased to report that I can inform of you of an exciting new development: I have a new apartment! Starting in May, I will be a proud resident of San Francisco's Mission District, and I could not be happier. After a tireless and months-long search, I have finally found a place to live, and I think that the space I have found justifies all the work put into the hunt. While I'm sure that you're pleased on my behalf, I wouldn't be surprised if you were a bit confused as to how this is relevant to publishing. But, have I ever strayed too far off topic? I think not!
For the last few months I've been focused on securing an apartment. Now that I have found one, I can move on to something more exciting: designing and decorating it! And, in beginning my conceptual research, I was reminded of a lady I quite admire: architect and designer, Zaha Hadid.
I first learned of Hadid in May of 2010, when she topped the list of 'Thinkers' in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World' issue. In reading that article, and following-up on the internet, I was impressed with Hadid's vision and accomplishments. Born in 1950 in Baghdad, Hadid received a degree in mathematics from the American University in Beirut, after which she moved to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. In the 40+ years of Hadid's career, she has established her own practice, as well as held numerous faculty positions at prestigious institutions around the world. In 2004, Hadid became the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, an award which honors a living architect "whose work demonstrates a combination of...talent, vision, and commitment" and who "has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the environment through the art of architecture."
What's that? Did you someone say "significant contributions to humanity?" A phrase like that automatically sets off of my BK mission-match alarm, and once that alarm rings there's no stopping me. Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have our third author in my imaginary BK series, 'A Woman's World That Works for All'!
While Zaha Hadid is already the author of a number of beautiful design and architecture books, she has yet to put words down on paper in an attempt to share what she has learned through her years of experience. In over 40 years of design -- in the fields of architecture, product design, interior decorating and furniture-making -- what sort of evolution has Hadid seen? More importantly (for the purposes of our series), what more evolution does she see in our future? What, to the passionate and unabashedly womanly Zaha Hadid, does a world that works for all really look like?
In Time, clothing designer Donna Karan had this to say about her friend and collaborator: "However you view her work, Zaha is a visionary. Her style is legendary and completely original. Zaha is a woman and an artist of her time -- and yet she is very much ahead of it too."
I rest my case.
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