Exhibition design

This exhibition design was led and curated by Tumpa Husna Yasmin Fellows, founder of FAME collective, and co-created by FAME collective. The exhibition documents FAME collective’s research projects, communicating underrepresented voices and the lived-experiences of barriers in architecture. Mapping the pathways to success, how to navigate the barriers and providing valuable recommendations for those experiencing barriers and those in power to make a change. The design of the central and the primary exhibit has been influenced by the ‘feminine embodiment practice’, from the concept of the Nakshi Kantha (traditional Bangladeshi diaspora embroidery technique). The concept involves re-using layers of recycled fabric and diverse materials, used to co-design the ‘pathways to success in architecture’, by delving into the narratives of the lived experiences of the barriers, from a FAME perspective.

Research process

The research for this exhibition is explored through an intersectional feminist lens to amplify the underrepresented voices in architecture. It has been conducted through a range of participatory methods and by engaging with the community of practitioners and students of architecture. Therefore, directly challenging institutions such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Architects Registration Board (ARB), universities and practices, by disseminating the findings and evidence-based research.

This research has been disseminated extensively to make it accessible to those in power. FAME collective’s research dissemination led to ARB's recent policy changes that came into place to remove the policy barriers in architecture by increasing access to the architecture profession for a wider demographic.

Ultimately, this research acts as a tool for activism; it reviews and highlights systemic inequities in architecture by documenting the lived experiences' narrative as a valuable form of research tool.

The research is supported by a critical review of the current data that reveals the state of intersectional barriers such as race, gender, and class at each stage of architecture education and the profession as a whole.

FAME (female architects of minority ethnic) collective’s research responds to an urgent need for understanding the barriers in architecture, for female architects of minority ethnic.

This research investigates the systems of discrimination in architecture and disadvantage experienced due to someone’s race, class and gender; and how these affect established practitioners, young scholars and students, from diverse backgrounds, knowledge and practices.

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