Learning Conversation panel
Valérie Sadoun in conversation
The Colin Rowe Lecture Series
Join photographer Valérie Sadoun to explore her work in architecture, design and storytelling, in conversation with Johanna Agerman Ross, Valeria Carullo and Marco Iuliano.
What to expect
Valérie Sadoun’s esteemed practice has led to her photographing the masterpieces of Renée Gailhoustet, Ricardo Bofill and Antti Lovag, among many others. Her unique approach to photography has ranged from depicting modernist and contemporary landmarks, to Japanese and European design, to film sets – most notably Wes Anderson’s.
Sadoun's iconic approach to immortalising film sets blurs the distinction between reality and fiction. In her work with Wes Anderson, she brings the invisible into the spotlight, revealing the remarkable process and craft behind Anderson’s visionary creations.
In this special event, Sadoun unpacks her career in architectural photography, with a particular focus on her work shooting Wes Anderson’s film sets, which is featured in the exhibition Wes Anderson: The Archives. The event will be introduced by Valeria Carullo, Curator of the Robert Elwall Photographs Collection at the RIBA British Architectural Library, and it will include the participation of Dr Marco Iuliano, Research Director at the Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts, University of Liverpool. The discussion will be chaired by the exhibition’s co-curator and the Design Museum’s Conran Foundation Chief Curator, Johanna Agerman Ross.
The Colin Rowe Lecture Series
In an informal setting and in dialogue with experienced and imaginative guests, The Colin Rowe Lectures aim to discuss the role of the image in architecture, particularly the crucial role of architectural photography. They are a tribute to Colin Rowe, architectural critic who taught at the University of Liverpool, author of influential publications such as The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa (1947) and Collage City (1978). The lectures are considered as an open forum of discussion for architects, photographers, students and the simply curious. All are welcome.
Speakers
Valérie Sadoun
Valérie is a French photographer based in London, whose work explores the intersection of architecture, design, and storytelling. Sadoun’s work is both documentary and formal and aims to reveal the interplay of texture, detail and light, communicating both the scale of her subjects and the personality built into the artifice. Her work has been featured in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, HTSI Financial Times, The World of Interiors, M le Magazine du Monde, among others. Visit valeriesadoun.com
Johanna Agerman Ross
Johanna was appointed the Conran Foundation Chief Curator at the Design Museum in 2023. She was previously curator of twentieth century and contemporary furniture and product design at the V&A where she co-curated the new permanent gallery Design 1900-Now and launched Make Good: Rethinking Material Futures, focused on design and the climate emergency. She founded the international design journal Disegno in 2011, which she edited for five years. She is still Disegno’s director. Visit agermanross.co.uk
Valeria Carullo
Valeria is Photographs Curator at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and has collaborated with architectural photographer Richard Bryant. She writes and lectures on both architectural and photographic subjects, and her principal area of research is the relationship between modern photography and modern architecture in the inter-war years. She is co-organiser of the annual Colin Rowe Lecture Series.
Marco Iuliano
Marco teaches at the University of Liverpool School of Architecture (LSA) and is a faculty member of the British School at Rome. His interdisciplinary research is in Architecture and the Visual Arts, exploring the impact of the image on architectural theory and practice. In 2016, he established the collaboration with RIBA for the Colin Rowe Lecture Series. His latest book, co-authored with Martino Stierli, is on Hélène Binet (Lund Humphries 2024).
In collaboration with
This event is a collaboration between the Design Museum, the Centre for Architecture and Visual Arts at the University of Liverpool and Robert Elwall Photographs Collection at the RIBA.
Book online
Booking information
Adult: £12
Concession: £11
Members*: £10
Carer: Free
*Please note that this benefit applies only to the cardholding Member’s ticket and not to those of additional guests.
• Pre-booking is required
• Hearing Loop is available
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• If you require BSL interpretation, please book your ticket up to four weeks before the event date and indicate your request in the booking form
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Related exhibition
Background image: Asteroid City, Wes Anderson © Valérie Sadoun, courtesy of the artist.