UDLA – INTERVIEWS – ART IN PROCESS

The first public screening took place at the Jaffa Room in Perth on 28 Feb 2014

The Changing Role of Women in the LA Profession – initiated and independently funded

by Greg Grabasch – a film by bello benischauer

‘Let’s have an AILA Women in Landscape Architecture Award’? This question was initially posed mid 2011 at an AILA National Council in Canberra. From the outset all Councillors seemed to agree that such an award at national level was unquestionably the ‘right thing to do’, then one by one the Councillors began to question: ‘…Are there other ways the profession can support Women, possibly more appropriate ways to address potential gender imbalances, more creative ways to support creative professional Women and finally, should we not ask Women in Landscape Architecture what they believe is the correct way to address the subject and what are the gender issues faced within contemporary practice? …’ Hence the WA Women in Landscape Architecture interviews were realised as part of an initial casual and fun investigation into the topic. Although the interviews were informal and allowed for a time of sharing and fellowship, the discussion focused around four topics: 1. Do you believe Women‘s role in the Landscape Architecture profession has changed over time? 2. Your thoughts on the proposed ‘AILA Women in Landscape Architecture Award‘? 3. Who is your inspiration? 4. Is there evidence of a glass ceiling within the Landscape Architecture profession?

Most of the participants discussed the four topics for twenty to thirty minutes providing 11 hours of unedited raw material, most of which has been archived for historical interest. The shortened version was edited in a manner where the narration flowed between the twenty five individual Women, with the intention of conveying one voice. Throughout this narrative there was a polarisation of ideas, there was laughing, crying and all bound together with a strong feeling of shared responsibility and empathy particularly towards the practice community. The outcome could be seen as a contemporary WA Women’s perspective, a snapshot in time that includes strong historical context due to the depth of participants.