Iwan Baan's photographs capture the many ways people shape their shared built environment -- from high architecture to handmade homes.
Why you should listen
Iwan Baan believes that buildings cannot be understood apart from their surroundings and the people who live in them. He uses aerial photography to show how buildings connect to a city or neighborhood. But he also documents the human ingenuity embedded in dwellings and businesses of all kinds, from the most refined architectural projects to informal, spontaneous communities. Together, the images weave a narrative that stems from the voice of the people at the heart of it all.
Trained in photography at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, Baan works to make architecture both approachable and accessible. As such, he works with a who’s who list of the world’s top firms, including Herzog & de Meuron, Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Toyo Ito and Morphosis.
Iwan Baan’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Iwan Baan
Arts + Design
Stunning photos from an art funhouse the size of three islands
November 6, 2014
On three tiny islands in central Japan, stunning natural beauty lives side by side with some of the world’s best contemporary art and architecture. See 10 photos by Iwan Baan.
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The art of stillness in the Japanese wilderness
November 5, 2014
A lyrical meditation on flying halfway across the world to stand still and find peace within.
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Jawdropping views of cozy homes built in an abandoned office tower, a lagoon, a recycling heap and more
October 16, 2013
Iwan Baan is not as interested in what architects build as he is in the beautiful ways that people appropriate the spaces once the planners are gone. In today’s talk, Baan — whose breathtaking image of lower Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy hangs on at least one of our walls — shows incredible images from communities thriving […]
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