kruh autumn 2016 : Katte Otten

The most renowned South African architect, Katte Otten, will present on the first Thursday of December as part of the lecture series Architects II at the Světozor cinema in Prague. She has contributed to several significant museums and memorials of apartheid, breaking myths by connecting African slums with historical city centers. In her work, elegance and the purity of modern architecture blend with respect for African tradition, strong influences of the place and landscape into which she sensitively places her objects, and the historical and political contexts of the space. Among the most notable projects of this architect are museums and memorials such as the reconstruction of the Women's Jail Museum, or Gabriel’s Garden Pavilion in Johannesburg, along with numerous residential buildings. Kate Otten has received many awards, serves as a jury member for major competitions in the Republic of South Africa, and publishes and lectures both at home and abroad. This lecture concludes a two-year series on women architects and marks the first lecture by the Kruh association featuring a guest from the African continent.

December 1st at 19:30
Kate Otten (RSA), Negotiating landscapes / Negotiating landscapes
In English, no translation, entry fee 70 CZK / students and seniors 50 CZK
Světazor Cinema, Vodičkova 41, Prague 1

More detailed information about the lecture is available at www.kruh.info.
Reservation of tickets at kinosvetozor.cz, entry fee 70 CZK, reduced 50 CZK.

“The lecture can broaden our horizons about non-Euro-American architecture and follows this year's biennale, which provided the European world with insights into architecture in Asia, South America, and Africa,” adds Marcela Steinbachová, the recent holder of the Architect of the Year 2016 title and chairwoman of the organizing association Kruh.

Kate Otten is among the most respected architects in South Africa. She works with traditional materials and methods. She is convinced that houses should not only be functional spaces, but they must also satisfy the emotional and spiritual needs of the users. She studied architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In 1989, she founded her own architectural studio, Kate Otten architects, which gained prestige through the implementation of diverse projects characterized, among others, by sensitivity to African tradition, thus creating an opposition to the prevailing "Western" aesthetic. Other notable projects include the Art Therapy Center in Soweto, the reconstruction of a historical prison in Johannesburg, the Anglo-American Reinvention memorial, and more. In 2015, she received an honorary mention for the arcVision International Prize.

Organized by: Kruh z. s.

Under the auspices of: Czech Chamber of Architects

The project is supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic, Prague City Hall, Czech Architecture Foundation, The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Laufen CZ s. r. o., SIPRAL a. s., MDA Prague s.r.o., MY DVA group a. s., FORBO FLOORING, OP Tiger s.r.o.,
Media partners: Radio 1, RadioWave, ERA21, archiweb.cz, Earch, construction magazine, Material Times

More information >