Could there be a missionary vocation in someone becoming an architect? Can architects change the world through the ways they act right here and now? According to Dorte Mandrup, the answer is yes.
This film portrait of Dorte Mandrup is a conversation that started in 2017 and lasted for four years. It is a fascinating story about the meaning and conditions of architecture today, and a portrait of a nonconformist, humanitarian Danish architect, who has been a star of Scandinavian architecture in recent years, also getting international attention. She is committed to developing architectural practice, with a strong opinion about buildings worth designing today and the role of architects. As she puts it, “it’s important to me to constantly push the boundaries, and that what you make isn’t sentimental and doesn't just mime what was. We live in present times, and this present must express itself.”
The film opens inner and outer landscapes and is thus a fascinating tale of the conditions and nature of architecture today.

“I think it took me a long time to realize that the knowledge you have that isn't articulated with words is as important as the written or spoken argument. There is a path for us, a form of communication that doesn't involve words. So acknowledging that there exists a different kind of knowledge and a different argument was a huge relief to me.”

“I'm convinced that good architecture creates a good life and that great art makes us better people.”

We thank Louisiana Chanel

Introduction by arhitectural historian Triin Ojari