Does Zaha Hadid address the female users needs through architecture from a feminist perspective? Is it even important calling herself a female architect or an architect?
To begin with, I have chosen Zaha Hadid's Maggie's Centre in Fife to examine through the theorectical framework of feminism and touching upon Freud's theories of feminine psychoanalysis. In order to answer the question I will define feminism in the historical and current context of the meaning. Referencing to philosophy of feminist writers and artists past and present It is necessary to look at other examples of architecture and design that have been influenced by a feminist opinion and how their views have shaped their work. This will determine how Zaha's personal views on feminism if any, have influenced her structure. Then proceed to identify any political and personal cultural influence to support my argument.
How did feminism form and develop and what is important in feminist ideals? In the late eighteenth century the first wave of the movement started with a realization that men and women are not considered equals in society. Women's roles dictated by men could be summarized by the phrase 'a woman's place is in the kitchen'. For she was expected to be a chef in the kitchen, a hostess in the dining room, an entertainer in the lounge, a mother in the children's room and a lover in the bedroom. Contained in the home, which many saw as a prison with no space to call her own. Domestic abuse begun the war for legal rights, as women with children were unable to find sanctuary and wasn't until the 1960's that the first women's shelters and support groups were introduced in the western world. SOURCE1 The second wave of feminism boomed more recently in the late ninetieth century in which women confronted issues of politics, and legislation concerning work eg. Maternity leave, discrimination in the workplace; and that which women consider essential eg. childcare, health care (abortion clinics), lesbian rights centre, and feminist school (women's studies later to become 'gender studies'). It took the best part of a century to establish and be taken seriously these 'essential' needs as the battle for women's rights was (and still currently is) against the the male masters of the world. In 2004, research studies shown that from the National assembly members including all lawmakers and council workers, 13.3 percent are women. This is a massive improvement from 1992 when the female ratio was 1.3 percent SOURCE2 The 13.3 percent represent naturally 50 percent of the population which are women. "Be it affirmed the built environment is largely the creation of white, masculine subjectivity. Feminism implies that we fully recognize this environmental inadequacy and proceed to think and act out off that recognition..." QUOTE3
Does Zaha approach this "environmental inadequacy" through Maggie's Centre in regards to feminism? Hadid attended LeCorbu schooling, It is widely known that Lecorbusir rejected cliches of feminine attributes. He "found the curve runinous, difficult and dangerous, it is a paralyzing thing" QUOTE4 Zaha quotes "As a woman, I am expected to want everything to be nice, and to be nice myself", It is widely acknowledged from Zaha's colleges that her temperament is rude. "I don't design nice buildings. I don't like them, I like architecture to have some raw, vital, earthy quality". QUOTE5 In the same interview she goes as far to state "It's a man's world. Although she sees unequal opportunities for Iraqi women in her homeland and would "love to build schools, hospitals and social housing, Patrik Schumacher Hadid's right hand man states "we're moving onto towers...So we can offer skyscrapers". Feminists view the skyscraper is a phallic symbol of dominant power representing masculinity. So let it be concluded that in Zaha's own words it is indeed a man's world and she is designing for them, rejecting her own femininity as perhaps a source of weakness. Why would this be considered a source of weakness? Since the era of civilized society, many areas of highly skilled labor are considered a gentlemanly proffesion.SOURCE6 Many of which were not available to women as education denied female applicants in Iraq until 1920 because it was the general view that women's responsibilities were in the home. DR Malcom Whitehead is aware of the pressure on women in the workplace as he stated "I have prescribed testosterone implants to female politicians who want to compete better with their male colleges in committee meetings and parliamentary debates"QUOTE6 Female architect Jeanne Gang was given the advice from Stanley Tigerman "Jeanne's got to develop a thick skin". The insinuation of course that in order to compete with men,
she can't afford to be gentile. Let it be noted however that Jeanne Gang is one of the few practicing female architects who not only embraces her femininity through her work but finds it as a source of power. Her response to having thick skin was "Thick skin isn't a goal for me. Thick skin makes you insensitive-a bad thing. I can deal with a few cuts on my skin, because my strength comes from my core." QUOTE7
Deconcostructalism the architectural style that Zaha Hadid is known for and Maggie's center which is a signature building, concentrates on fragmentation in a non-fucidean geometry (ie. non-rectilinear shapes. Zaha's use of deconstructalism uses bold angular shapes to define the structure. It is as if she has morphed the contours of a box in a 3D computer program and made it a reality in the built environment. "In retrospect many early deconstructivist works appear to have been conceived with the aid of a computer, but were not; Zaha Hadid's sketches for instance" SOURCE Although striking visually, in my opinion it's exterior is sophisticatedly masculine. Down to the finishing materials of black polyurethane skin with silicon grit there is no hint that the design is by a female. Feminist designers have been known to shape their design from the womb creating curvaceous space and enclosures. Exploring the relationships between inside and out. Radical feminist Faith Wilding's Cunt art being an extreme form of expression. SOURCE9 As a general observation and from the evidence provided throughout this essay, I would go as far as to suggest that Zaha is more inclined to masculine phallic structures as opposed to feminine curvature structures. Although research studies suggest that children have an inborn nature of their own sexuality as in the case of David Reimer. He lost his penis at an early age from an accident during circumcised and his doctors and parents convinced him that he was a female and renamed him Brenda. However, David rejected the notion that he was a female. Let it be stated then that Zaha is aware that she is a female. Does Zaha take into account her own sexuality, is it even necessary? Freud's well documented theories was that of the castration complex, and penis envy which lead to a less developed theory of feminine sexuality. SOURCE10 and 11 The complete theories, I found difficult to grasp entirely without a sound knowledge of the id, ego and superego and a foundation of psychoanalysis which is a subject matter by itself. The basic concepts underlying penis envy occurs when an infant girl realizes she is without a penis and blames her mother for her castration. I am wary not to make bold assumptions of Zaha Hadid in regards to the Freudian theory but it is known in her personal history that she was raised in an intellectual family. I hypothesize that Zaha was brought up to be a strong intellectual in order to complete with the male members of her family. Born in Iraqi the Provisional Constitution (drafted in 1970) guaranteed equal rights to women and ensured their right to vote. Zaha was fortunate enough to be at an age during the political and economic development to take full advantage of the relaxed ethics of women in university and in the workforce. Her working life attitude gave her credit and prestige in 2004 when she won the Prizker Prize and was the first female to do so in the 24 years the award was established. In the male dominated architectural practice and against the ratio odds of 1 female architect to 9 males she had broken the 'glass ceiling' that has kept other female architects down, such as Patrica Cartwright. It is not without sacrifice to achieve her high status for in a study by RIBA "young women leave the profession due in part to lengthy hours, slow career progression and low pay."SOURCE 12. In the same survey revealed that two-thirds of women architects have taken time off for children. Zaha in the same interview from Source 5 claims that architecture for her has been a full-time profession, " But for a woman to go out alone into architecture is still very, very hard". Many female professionals from all fields of art, design, politics, economics, law, medicine and so forth, know only too well what Zaha's words mean by it being "very, very hard". Faith Wilding a pursuer of cunt art states "there's lot's of vaginas in our world, but it's not about vaginas. Rather we are inventing a new form language radiating a female power which cannot be conveyed in any other way at this time...These images...are about a human body in this world...a holy body; which knows, thinks, pains, remembers, works, imagines, dreams, yearns, aspires and which may not be violated. As women artists we are presenting an image of a woman's body and spirit as that which cannot and must not be colonized either sexually, economically or politically." In Faith Wilding's case, she wants to acknowledged not only as an artist, but as a female artist. Does it make a difference? In my opinion yes, as opposed to fighting for recognition as an artist, she is really fighting to be acknowledged as a woman who is fighting in a man's world. Where she calls upon other women to recognize that this is indeed the case but it is not necessary to abide by the men's rules to succeed any more. By calling attention to her femininity, this would suggest that there is a distance of difference and barriers between men and women as opposed to being gender neutral. However, in Mary Daly's view, she believes that feminism is a celebration of female difference. I find no evidence to suggest that Zaha caters for women's needs, but rather is catering for her clients needs who are mostly white males whose users are mostly white males. BMW Plant Central Building in Leipzig Germany. It is possible however to take a bigger consideration over female needs, as Cassie Dixion moved kitchens in a housing block to the front so they could work and simultaneously watch their children play. She states " I've done a lot of buildings which are organic and curvy and feminine. The males do buildings that are more strict [even] kind of fascist, very ordered." Could it be then, that Zaha conforms to the masculine principles because as Cassie Dixion later goes on to say "If women have done the building you still don't get the credit at the end". Zaha, now very accomplished in the architecture world, may of had to compete against thousands of male architects for her status as an architect and to be taken seriously. However I can't help but feel that in doing so she has lost a deeper part of her own identity. She dislikes being referred to as a diva "if a man had talked and acted as I have, no one would say that of him". SOURCE13 which further solidifies the statement I made earlier that Zaha rejects her own femininity in order to compete with males.
Looking back on the original outline notes of my essay I asked myself why am I interested in this subject of feminism and architecture. Before I came into this topic, with my own pre-assumptions of that the built environment is mostly white males, and wondered if it is necessary to be neutral as to be accepted in the design community. My conclusion at this time, I believed that in a man's world it is necessary to think like a man. I found it important to answer this question derived from my own pre-assumptions. As a fellow female seeking to attain a position in the design world, sub-consciencely I associated success with role-models and hoped to aspire to their standards eventually. After evaluating, drawing conclusions and melting pre-assumptions, I find it an important part of my own identity to maintain femininity and actively possess qualities of a woman. I strive now to find a comfortable balance. Over the course of history, women have fought for equal right, now I see it plain and simply that if women want access to professions that have be predominately male, then they are forced to abandon their femininity and be treated as a man to be taken seriously. I understand now why there still are women who call themselves radical feminists. As I see it, they are still fighting a battle between the sexes that began over a century ago. Originally when I viewed Cunt art I thought that these artist are a bit mad for projecting images of vaginas so explicitly, now I see that they are not mad at all, in fact enlightened of their own sexuality and proud of it. If you are proud of yourself and your opinions, you can defend them from the heart. That's a rare condition in modern society to be proud of ourselves and declare it to the world. I think Zaha has made a stepping stone for women in history for which she will be remembered for, but I would love to see a built design from her that can make women proud of her accomplishments too.
References
1. (Leslie Kanes Weisman) Gender Space Architecture, p.4
2. http://www2.kwdi.re.kr/board/view.php?db=trend&category=1&no=277&page=1
3. (Jane Randell) Gender. Op cit p. 16
4. The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture.
5. The Guardian, Monday October 9, 2006
6. (Saint A, 1983) The image of the architect, New Haven CT: Yale University Press
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk
8. http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/fivearchitect/fivearchitects.htm
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deconstructivism
10. (Chicago Judy) The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation
11. (Teresa Bennan) The Interpretaion of the flesh: Freud and Femininity
12. ( Jacques Lacan and The Ecole Freudienne) Feminine Sexuality
13. RIBA Journal 2001 p. 1-12 Rothschilde and Rojner 1999: 'Architect' Employment and earnings
14. (Chicago Judy) The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation p. 5
15. http://www.cincypost.com/2003/05/17/zaha051703.html
Biography
Taylor, Mark C. The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture. (Chicago
University of Chicago Press, 2001)
Cynthia Freeland. BUT IS IT ART? AN INTRODUCTION TO ART THEORY
(Oxford University Press, 2002)
Debra Coleman, Elizabeth Danze, and Carol Henderson, eds., Architecture and
Feminism (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996),
Gender space architecture: an interdisciplinary introduction by Jane Rendell, Barbara Penner, Iain Borden - (New York: Routledge,2000)
Domus no.873 supplement September 2004 / p.16-21
