Saint-Petersburg 2023
Julia Stafi. A brief dossier.
As Bill Clinton says if you want to lead something, start by saying - this is what I care about.
This is what I want to do. For me, it is important to make the world beautiful, safe and equibital for all the inhabitants of the Planet.
This is what I want to do. For me, it is important to make the world beautiful, safe and equibital for all the inhabitants of the Planet.
About me
My name is Julia Stafi, I'm architect, artist and social activist from Saint - Petersburg, Russia.
As Bill Clinton says if you want to lead something, start by saying - this is what I care about.
This is what I want to do. For me, it is important to make the world beautiful, safe and equibital for all the inhabitants of the Planet.
In 2022 I have received Sho-Ping Chin Women Leadership Summit grant .
I'm the first Russian woman architect did it.
I was supposed to perform in Silicon Valley. This did not happen.
Why?
And that's the story.
As Bill Clinton says if you want to lead something, start by saying - this is what I care about.
This is what I want to do. For me, it is important to make the world beautiful, safe and equibital for all the inhabitants of the Planet.
In 2022 I have received Sho-Ping Chin Women Leadership Summit grant .
I'm the first Russian woman architect did it.
I was supposed to perform in Silicon Valley. This did not happen.
Why?
And that's the story.
After graduating from the University in... I almost immediately moved to St. Petersburg. I worked as an architect in a number of different companies. The path of a female architect in Russia...well, it is not easy. This is a traditional "male profession" and occupation.
You will not find a single woman searching for "famous architects of Russia" - since the times of the Russian Empire.
A more modern story - in the town planning committee of St. Petersburg (a city with more than 5 million residents), out of 30 committee members, 30 are...men.
I never asked for special treatment, I never will.
This is why I founded my own practice in 2014 and am still a registered architect in the Russian Federation. I continued to work in a number of companies as a partner, gaining the necessary practical knowledge.
My first international recognition came in 2016 with the "Cannabis Bank" competition. The project received an honorable mention from the jury. I acted as the lead designer and conceptualist of the project. Visualization by Nikita Petrov.
My first significant social project was a concept for the reconstruction of Adolf Hitler's house in Austria. The project was presented at the Vienna Architecture Biennale. I acted as the main conceptualist. The author of the manifesto is Miroslav Stafi.(2017)
Place and Displacement - A Market in Refugee Settlements competition - finalist(2017)
International Associate of The American Institute of Architects(2019)
SHELTER (2020-PRESENT) Co-author and lead designer.
Improvement, development, and supporting shelters for abused animals. Blueprint of universal, modular, innovative shelters for animals, and drawing attention to the problem of abandoned and abused pets.
2021 - Present. War on Terror Memorial Initiative.
2022 - AIA mentorship program participation as a mentee(Noam)
I consider myself a visionary and a dreamer.
I believe that technology has been and will be the "great equalizer" and "merciful savior" of Humanity.
And yes - technology is my second passion besides creativity.
Even before the hype around artificial intelligence, I created a short manifesto INTOPIA - the world through the eyes of an architect in 2040.
My view of AI is somewhat different from the mainstream.
I looked even further - to the year 2100. My work for Young Architects Forum.
I felt like I was part of this world of the future, a world in which AI would free me, an architect, from routine and bureaucracy, leaving me with the role of an artist and social worker. A world in which AI will save us from housing problems, the plagues of parking lots and landfills. I saw myself not as a consumer, but as a mentor and teacher for the Machine. A world in which TaaS will make the same revolution as the Ford Model T did in its time, and we, architects, will start (planning our cities) with a clean slate - Rethink, Redesign, Remodel.
My dreams were crushed in February 2022.
The madness that has gripped my country is difficult to describe.
I have stopped all contact with anyone supporting this war. Although, this is more of a genocide than a war.
This cost me my practice - there are very, very many such people.
For these words I could face 15 years in prison.
You will not find a single woman searching for "famous architects of Russia" - since the times of the Russian Empire.
A more modern story - in the town planning committee of St. Petersburg (a city with more than 5 million residents), out of 30 committee members, 30 are...men.
I never asked for special treatment, I never will.
This is why I founded my own practice in 2014 and am still a registered architect in the Russian Federation. I continued to work in a number of companies as a partner, gaining the necessary practical knowledge.
My first international recognition came in 2016 with the "Cannabis Bank" competition. The project received an honorable mention from the jury. I acted as the lead designer and conceptualist of the project. Visualization by Nikita Petrov.
My first significant social project was a concept for the reconstruction of Adolf Hitler's house in Austria. The project was presented at the Vienna Architecture Biennale. I acted as the main conceptualist. The author of the manifesto is Miroslav Stafi.(2017)
Place and Displacement - A Market in Refugee Settlements competition - finalist(2017)
International Associate of The American Institute of Architects(2019)
SHELTER (2020-PRESENT) Co-author and lead designer.
Improvement, development, and supporting shelters for abused animals. Blueprint of universal, modular, innovative shelters for animals, and drawing attention to the problem of abandoned and abused pets.
2021 - Present. War on Terror Memorial Initiative.
2022 - AIA mentorship program participation as a mentee(Noam)
I consider myself a visionary and a dreamer.
I believe that technology has been and will be the "great equalizer" and "merciful savior" of Humanity.
And yes - technology is my second passion besides creativity.
Even before the hype around artificial intelligence, I created a short manifesto INTOPIA - the world through the eyes of an architect in 2040.
My view of AI is somewhat different from the mainstream.
I looked even further - to the year 2100. My work for Young Architects Forum.
I felt like I was part of this world of the future, a world in which AI would free me, an architect, from routine and bureaucracy, leaving me with the role of an artist and social worker. A world in which AI will save us from housing problems, the plagues of parking lots and landfills. I saw myself not as a consumer, but as a mentor and teacher for the Machine. A world in which TaaS will make the same revolution as the Ford Model T did in its time, and we, architects, will start (planning our cities) with a clean slate - Rethink, Redesign, Remodel.
My dreams were crushed in February 2022.
The madness that has gripped my country is difficult to describe.
I have stopped all contact with anyone supporting this war. Although, this is more of a genocide than a war.
This cost me my practice - there are very, very many such people.
For these words I could face 15 years in prison.
Cannabis Bank (2016)
My first international recognition came with the "Cannabis Bank" competition. The project received an honorable mention from the jury. I acted as the lead designer and conceptualist of the project. Visualization by Nikita Petrov.
The abyss (2017)
My first significant social project was a concept for the reconstruction of Adolf Hitler's house in Austria. The project was presented at the Vienna Architecture Biennale. I acted as the main conceptualist. The author of the manifesto is Miroslav Stafi.
Vienna Architectural Biennale. Full project in ICARCH Gallery
For me, Architecture is 50 percent of technical code and 50 percent of Art.. This is why during my work process I like to make collages using Russian classical painting, for example.
SHELTER (2020-present)
Improvement, development, and supporting shelters for abused animals. Blueprint of universal, modular, innovative shelters for animals, and drawing attention to the problem of abandoned and abused pets.
In collaboration with Daria Zernova.
THE MEMORIAL (2022)
For those, who will never see the light
Who will never feel fresh airwave
Rejoice, o, you, alive
Dedicated to the People of Ukraine
Who will never feel fresh airwave
Rejoice, o, you, alive
Dedicated to the People of Ukraine
I was nominated for Sho-Ping Chin Women's Leadership Summit Grant - for my outrageous speech against genocide of Ukrainian people.
IRAQ WAR MEMORIAL(2023)
Proposal
Art.
MY ART
Since childhood, drawing has been a way for me to go to another world, not so ordinary, a world without borders.
Sometimes we may not be where we want to be right now. But imagination always allows us to travel to places full of beauty and originality. My paintings are the world I escape to when I want to be alone.
Sometimes we may not be where we want to be right now. But imagination always allows us to travel to places full of beauty and originality. My paintings are the world I escape to when I want to be alone.
Left to right:
1. The girl in trolley bus. 2. Mama Brigitte. 3. Jane Doe. 4. Veil. 5. District Arbekovo. 6. Purple Castle.
1. The girl in trolley bus. 2. Mama Brigitte. 3. Jane Doe. 4. Veil. 5. District Arbekovo. 6. Purple Castle.
Hey architect!
Why so serious?
To build the new world
you
should not
be
so mysterious!
Grab the sledgehammer and
bang bang -
Then whack whack
- chips to chips, cracks to crack!
Painful?
Familiar?
Oh, yes.
How many times
you’ve been ruined your whole progress?
Thru pain and tears,
day and night,
You’ve never stopped
your design fight
So, what’s the matter
of all this?
Respect?
Authority?
Another prize?
No.
Lightning
of furious gaze.
I just want to leave
a positive trace.
Then rise and shine,
Mr. Architect!
Rise and shine!
And smell the ashes.
Dedicated to all architects and Vladimir Mayakovsky
To build the new world
PROJECT INTOPIA (2017-PRESENT)
I have my own visions, or INTOPIAs, for the future development of Humankind.
I30-for nearest future, 2025-2030. Reshaping our cities.
My dream - parks instead of parking lots.
Key technologies - autonomous-all, IoT, simple robotics. Dawn of Quantum computing and Quantum distribution.
I50. 2040-2050. Reshaping political and "national" borders.
The goal - Humankind Union,
Key technologies - Neuronet, Quantum computing, advanced robotics.
A dawn of Unhuman Architecture.
I100. Prospect 2080-2100. Reshaping our planet and beyond.
Key technologies. Fusion, Singular computing, Advanced Human.
I wrote about it for YAF in 2022.
CONCLUSION.
During such turbulent and doomy times I remember the words of one wise person.
"We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence." - MLK
"We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence." - MLK
Thank you for your time!
Julia
Julia