The Living Root Bridge at Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills has been named among 64 new projects that have been awarded grants totaling US$559,100 by the prestigious Graham Foundation to develop and exchange ideas about architecture, art and culture. Providers are champions.
The annual grant program by the Chicago-based non-profit received nearly 500 submissions and will ultimately feature work by 92 creatives including architects, designers, curators, filmmakers and writers from around the world and has been awarded to 64 so far.
The award was given to Design Emergency’s YouTube channel that streams interviews with architects, engineers, and designers who are at the forefront of positive change in different fields and different parts of the world.
Further details of the project are not available.
The interviews were done by Paola Antonelli and Alice Rawsthorn.
Each one is structured to encourage global leaders in architecture and design to discuss their work from a personal perspective, sharing lessons learnt from failures, as well as their successes, and their future ambitions.
As well as showing practical examples of how architects are addressing major challenges, the interviews illustrate their use of new technologies and ancient indigenous design practices. “By doing so, the YouTube channel of Design Emergency provides a rich source of information and inspiration for the architecture and design communities, to students especially,” the webwide of the Foundation said.
It also demystifies the often-inscrutable field of architecture to the public by demonstrating clearly and engagingly how it is already helping to build a better future.
Paola Antonelli is senior curator in the Department of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and its founding director of Research & Development. Her work investigates design in all forms, from architecture to video games, expanding its reach to include overlooked objects and practices.
Alice Rawsthorne is an award-winning design critic and author.
In all of its work, Rawthorn champions design’s ability to address complex social, political and ecological challenges. Based in London, Rawthorne is a former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and wrote a weekly design column for The New York Times that was syndicated around the world for more than a decade.
