Our conversationalists for this episode are Iranian born Parisa Izadpanahi and Koosha Saririan. Parisa is an Associate Professor and the Architecture Course Leader and Coordinator at Curtin University. Koosha is a registered architect and Project Planning Manager at Curtin.
Parisa and her husband made their “dramatic move” to Australia after she was awarded a full scholarship from Deakin University to study the impact of sustainable school design on children’s attitude and behaviours. Koosha moved to Perth with their family when they were 18, attracted to study architecture for its intersection of art and science. After a two-year stint in Iran from 2022 to be part of the Women Life Freedom movement, they recently moved back to Perth and took up a position on the client side at Curtin.
Parisa reminisces about her time at Tehran University as a young, energetic and provocative architecture student with an interest in feminism and a fascination with Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex. Koosha describes how they come from a long line of powerful women and sensitive men – an important part of their identity.
Parisa and Koosha share their experiences of being underestimated in both Iran and Australia, and the power of self-belief in changing others’ perceptions. Koosha advises to carry yourself with confidence and explains how dropping a swear word or two on site can help. Parisa examines the way the meaning of equity has evolved for her over the last 20 years, while Koosha discusses the multiple things to consider when discussing equity.
“Coming from Iran and being in the construction industry, feminism and activism and social justice have always been a backbone for me – and transectional feminism is very interesting to me. It comes down to a few factors. It’s not just your gender. It comes down to your sexual orientation, your race, your ability as well... So, in terms of equity there are so many things to consider.”—Koosha Saririan
Other topics in this episode include the future of architecture, the need to make architecture more accessible and affordable to more people, the potential of AI to help underserved communities at times of disaster or war, and the need for hope and optimism in a complex world.
This episode was recorded live on Whadjuk Nyoongar Country at the 2024 Perth Winter Salon. Held at the AIA WA Chapter Office on 12 September 2024, it was convened by Suzie Hunt and run in collaboration with #WorkWomenWisdom . Photos: Kate Drennan.
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