SEEDS OF DIASPORA

Anette Freytag

Anette Freytag is a Professor of Landscape Architecture (History, Theory and Design) at Rutgers University and an award-winning scholar, educator, and critic. Her research focuses on designed landscapes from the 19th century to the contemporary practice with a particular emphasis on topology, phenomenology and walking. In her latest book The Landscapes of Dieter Kienast (Zurich: gta Verlag 2021) she shows how this Swiss landscape architect renewed the aesthetics for designing with nature in the city through his love for spontaneous vegetation and his doctorate in phytosociology. After the environmental movement of the 1970s and 1980s, Kienast reoriented the profession of landscape architecture with form driven designs while reinforcing plant knowledge. Anette Freytag’s books have been honored with a J. B. Jackson Book Prize, a European Garden Book Award, a DAM Architectural Book Award and many more. Before joining Rutgers University, Anette has taught at ETH Zurich, the University of Basel and the University of Innsbruck. In 2019, co-founded the AIR Collaborative (Arts Integration Research Collaborative) which prioritizes creative placemaking to foster spatial justice through projects that seek safe access to nature for all.