SAH HIG Research Committee Event: “Vienna & the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938” Book Talk by Michelle Jackson-Beckett
This online event is a book talk and discussion by Michelle Jackson-Beckett on her new book, Vienna & the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938 (Oxford University Press, May 2024). In this book talk organized by the Research Committee of the Historic Interiors Affiliate Group-Society of Architectural Historians (HIG-SAH), she will examine interior design exhibitions, press, debate about modern living in interwar Vienna, and analyze varied interpretations of modern domestic culture (Wohnkultur). With a focus on historic interiors, she will also explore why these interpretations of modern living were distinct from other strands of European modernism and how this research relates to broader questions in this field.
This online event, sponsored by the Historic Interiors Affiliate Group of the Society of Architectural Historians (HIG-SAH) is a book talk by Michelle Jackson-Beckett, design historian and Research Committee member of HIG-SAH. Her book, “Vienna & the New Wohnkultur, 1918-1938” (Oxford University Press, May 2024) examines interior design exhibitions, press, and debates about modern living in interwar Vienna, and analyzes varied interpretations of modern domestic culture (Wohnkultur). In this book talk, she will present and discuss why these interpretations of modern living were distinct from other strands of European modernism, and how this research relates to broader questions about studying historic interiors.
Michelle Jackson-Beckett, Ph.D. (speaker) is a historian specializing in modern European and U.S. design history, with a specialization in industrial design and the built environment. She holds a Ph.D. in the History of Design, Decorative Arts, & Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center, a Master’s degree in Design History from the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum/Parsons School of Design, and a Bachelor's degree in German Language & Literature from Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. She has authored book chapters exploring topics on gender, interiors, and architectural education. Michelle has lectured widely on design and architectural history, leading courses at Parsons School of Design, RISD, the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and most recently teaching in the Drawings & Archives department at Columbia University's Avery Library. She is the incoming inaugural Curator of Rare Books at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Library.
Meral Ekincioglu, Ph.D. (co-moderator) is a Research Committee member of the Historic Interiors Affiliate Group at the Society of Architectural Historians. As a visiting scholar at MIT, Harvard and Columbia universities, she has served as a digital and inclusive collection curator at the MIT-Archnet, a nominator for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture, been a recipient of a SAH-independent scholar fellowship (2018), speaker at the 71st and 76th SAH International and Annual Conferences and a guest editor of SAHARA (2023, January). She has obtained her Ph.D., Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in architecture from Istanbul Technical University, has several international academic presentations and publications in her field.
Nasim Shiasi, Ph.D. (co-moderator): is a Research Committee member of the Historic Interiors Affiliate Group at the Society of Architectural Historians. She holds a Ph.D. in History, Representation and Restoration of Architecture from Sapienza University of Rome, complemented by a Master’s degree in Architecture and a Bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation. Her research primarily centers on the history, theory, and criticism of architectural heritage conservation. She has presented her research at both national and international conferences and has received research grants. In addition to her research endeavors, Nasim actively contributes as a volunteer teaching assistant at Sapienza University.
