Do Not Carry Your Flag Too Low

An exhibition about the inclusiveness of our buildings and common spaces, showing the archive of the radical 1980s feminist architecture practice Matrix. This work explored issues about community and the built environment, and traced the implications of feminist theory and critique on architecture and urban design.

The actions presented in the exhibition were made by a collective of women knonw as Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative. They were active in London between the 1980s and the 1990s and shared a concern about the way buildings and cities work for everyone. They specialized in working with people, groups and organizations who have traditionally been excluded from the design process. They were architects, teachers in higher education, researchers, mothers, builders, journalists.

Matrix originated from the late 1970s New Architecture Movement, a mixed group of socialist architects, students, teachers and builders. They were concerned about making architects more accountable and questioned the relationship between user and architect, and between architect and builder. From unstructured exploratory discussion, in the autumn of 1980 a group of women moved to more formal meetings and formed the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative. The foundation of the Co-op marks the beginning of a conscious movement to recognize and explore the potential of women in architecture.

In opening up broad questions on architecture, its agents and production, the exhibition addresses three main complementary and necessary concerns: building design and supervision, education, training.