Eleonora Orlandi
Eleonora Orlandi
Architect / Founder of SHE IS HOT
Los Angeles, CA
www.eleonoraorlandi.com
www.she-is-hot.com
instagram @eleonoraorlandi_
vimeo
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I am an architect in the broader sense of the term. ”
I am interested in inspiring and stimulating people to deeply resonate inside dimensions/atmospheres/ambiences/places.
In my everyday I work on design, story-telling, marketing and project management.
My career as an architectural designer has first been focusing on what can be referred as experiential design, transitioning later into more detailed-based building design and I am nowadays focusing my design career on raising awareness around climate change and it’s urgency.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I started my path at Polytechnic of Milano and then moved to LA to receive my Master degree in Architecture from SCI-Arc. Furthermore I had the great opportunity of experiencing multiple international academic environments such as: Stanford University in California, Brown University in Rhode Island, Central Saint Martins in London and UMPRUM in Prague.
My time in Milan gave me a more traditional education, SCI-Arc introduced me and gave me access to a very high academic conversation in which to explore more abstract approaches towards architecture and my liberal arts studies freed me from any preconceived notions in the creative field.
As mentioned before, my career started in the architectural niche of experiencial design, working in NYC as a stage designer for Justin Timberlake’s world tour “Man of the Woods”. My next step led me to me to my current position at Greg Lynn Form office, an incredible, eclectic and breakthrough architecture firm in LA.
My path until now has a recurrence of extremely valuable and unconventional people and experiences. Each step taken led me towards a mental and visual liberation from a conventional perception of norm, as innovation can often lead to unexpected results.
How do you stand out in your field?
I see architecture not only as a discipline and practice itself but also as an extremely powerful lens through which reading and understanding the world. More and more, everyday I become interested in using the culture of the digital, the power of aesthetics and its engagement into society to create meaningful culture around essential experiences for the individual and communities.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
My exploration and wandering through the lands of design, theory, architecture and entertainment made me realize my willingness to transcend my own creative ego and employ my skills in more synergic energy. My interest translated from personal experience to a more collective one. I believe the very essential experience of us all is our living on planet earth. I, therefore, started working on a more long-term project that deals with sustainability, SHE IS HOT.
In a world that transacts on aesthetics and perceptions, what better way to raise awareness around one of the most pressing issues facing us than leaning into cultural language? SHE is the earth, and SHE is affected by governments and systems that deny climate change and it’s urgency. SHE IS HOT presents itself as a platform to explore how existing and new technologies can bring us closer to our best future. I believe culture creation is vital for the future of sustainability.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
As mentioned beforehand, my experience liberated me from a conventional perception of beauty. I learned that starting with something that maybe isn’t traditionally beautiful, is better than something ordinary. It’s new and unusual, and it provides more opportunities for exploration and creativity. This is the reson why I cannot really identify a definitive and constant style. I could say I like keeping my designs elegant and polished but at the end of the day what defines and characterizes elegance? I do not have an exhaustive answer to this question and therefore I keep my designs as well as my understanding of them fluid.
The designs mute accordingly to the client, the project, the audience and various sources of inspiration in my life at that moment. The creative vision could be triggered by happenings around the world, a book I am reading, the smell of a garden I've walked by recently, a song, a lover's kiss or betrayal and so much more.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I wish I could focus more on culture creation, through creative strategy and design consulting.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I am facing a slow-down in my career progression because of the buffer between career expectations that come within a specific field, in my case architecture, and the more spontaneous and personal way of proceeding towards a less canonical future. I realized I am looking for a future in an intersectional space between fields and careers, more specifically between creativity, culture creation and marketing. It is hard to find a pre-existing path that works in this situation. I will have to improvise a little, which makes it scary and exciting at the same time.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
I would have them doing preliminary research for projects and on prospective clients. Because I like working in the intersection of fields, deep analysis and exploration is fundamental.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I would go back few years and tell myself to start surfi ng earlier. And understand that I should take life the same way as I do with surfing. Be patient. Learn from who is real and knows better than you. Find your own smoothness. Be brave. Get crushed. Get crushed again. Paddle back ready to face the next wave. Feel every moment deep inside of you and learn from it. Enjoy the ride. Look out for dolphins.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I would like to learn more about how to drive change through culture. And most importantly how to add value to it both from a political and economical perspective.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Projects that help funding, promoting and build awareness around new sustainable technologies.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
Someone who is able to walk past appearances and dive deep into meaning and true impact. Planet earth doesn't need vane promises nor empty , it needs tangible transformation and reforms.
Who is a creative that has helped you elevate your work?
It was Thanksgiving weekend of 2019 when I flew to Paris for the long weekend. On my flight back I watched the documentary "Ice on Fire". That was the time I realized how powerful creativity and media can be in culture creating around important topics such as sustainability. From there I started doing research on the people involved into Ice on Fire production and discovered Tree Media and Leila Conners.
My research got deeper and helped me find more designers, artists and publications that work in the intersection of their own fields and sustainability such as the magazine It's Freezing in LA, the sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and the designer duo Forma Fantasma.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Please contact me via email at eleonora.orlandi@outlook.com and include info about yourself as a client, the project, the audience, the budget and approximate timeline.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Letting go, risotto, hugs and dancing.
This member profile was originally published in June 2021.