Erika Langley

The Speaker Series was created over 25 years ago as a platform to expand our individual + collective ways of thinking through the lens of people outside the realm of traditional architecture. Since then, we’ve invited hundreds of guests into our office to share their projects, perspectives, and unfiltered stories.

We’re kicked off 2024 with one of the series’ very first guest speakers: Erika Langley. Erika is an internationally recognized, award-winning photojournalist. When she first spoke to Olson Kundig over two decades ago, she shared her work documenting The Lusty Lady, a peep show run by women in downtown Seattle. When she initially asked to photograph the dancers, they said she’d have to become one. So she did.

Now, over twenty years later, Erika returns to Olson Kundig to retell her stories from past + present, including: some pastiche about the importance of storytelling and risk and careful listening to what matters, while not listening to what you’re told, and to savor the moments like a sweet pear, or a one-eyed cat, as time is precious.

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Every Monday, Olson Kundig starts the week with an all‑office meeting, and once a month this meeting is devoted to an outside guest speaker. The Olson Kundig Speaker Series was created by Alan Maskin over two decades ago with the goal of inspiring staff with presentations from people who work outside the realm of architecture. To date, more than 300 guests have come to speak in our offices. The forum is also available for internal speakers, who share completed project overviews, complex project details, and research findings, all with the aim of increasing our shared knowledge.

The 2024 theme of The Speaker Series is Sorry, I Was On Mute… Sorry, I Was On Mute… is an exploration of narratives that have otherwise been silenced, censored, and hidden from our cultural zeitgeist. These are stories from people who push boundaries and question norms in relentless pursuit of their passions, despite all systematic and social barriers at play. At its core, Sorry, I Was On Mute… is an examination—and celebration—of the human spirit in its most authentic form.