On Wednesday, April 11th, SOM will host a panel discussion on the intersection of design and the public realm. The event celebrates the release of The Future of Public Space, a book that explores how different types of public space—urban and rural, real and virtual—impact our everyday experiences in an increasingly privatized world.
Taking place at New York City’s Strand Book Store, the panel discussion folds the book’s theme back onto the world of design. It brings together four innovative practitioners working to implement bold and challenging ideas in the public realm: Olalekan Jeyifous, a visual artist who recently completed commissions for the Chicago Transit Authority and the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; Damon Rich, founder of the Center for Urban Pedagogy and currently a partner at the design studio Hector; architect Oana Stanescu, formerly of Family and one of the designers of +Pool; and Claire Weisz, founding partner of the firm WXY and co-founder of the Design Trust for Public Space. The Future of Public Space contributor and national art critic for artnet News, Ben Davis, will moderate the panel.
The Future of Public Space is the latest volume of SOM Thinkers, a series that originated from a desire to start a public conversation about the built environment. Each installment of the series brings together leading voices on a single topic.
The event is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Strand’s Rare Book Room, accessible via the store elevator or at 826 Broadway.
Panel Discussion: The Future of Public Space
April 11, 2018
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Strand Book Store
Rare Book Room, Third Floor
828 Broadway
New York, New York