Denise Scott Brown's photographic archive showcased in Yale exhibition with floral theater centerpiece

A custom-built circular theater covered in reflective silver flowers and painted light green serves as the central installation for "Encounters: Denise Scott Brown Photographs" at the Yale Architecture Gallery. The exhibition, curated by Izzy Kornblatt and co-designed by Yaxuan Liu, presents previously unexhibited photographs taken by the influential architect from the 1950s to 1970s. Located within the brutalist Paul Rudolph-designed Yale architecture school building in New Haven, USA, the show runs until 3 July. The theater houses two projectors displaying Scott Brown's 35-millimetre slides, offering an immersive viewing format she originally used. Five surrounding rooms provide non-linear thematic explorations of her work, supplemented by archival materials, design objects, and photographs by Ed Ruscha and David Goldblatt. Kornblatt noted the exhibition required extensive additional research beyond the companion book published by Lars Müller Publishers. The floral theater's vibrant design intentionally contrasts with the building's bush-hammered concrete, creating architectural dialogue. Scott Brown, a key postmodern movement proponent with partner Robert Venturi, won the AIA Gold Medal in 2016 and the Jane Drew Prize in 2017. The exhibition team includes curatorial associates Ugen Yonten and Peter Xu, graphic designer Milo Bonacci, and YSOA director of exhibitions Andrew Benner.