Between migration, gender and social commitment, the stories of six professionals open up a debate on the dominant model of the discipline
Transnational Narratives: A Documentary Celebrating South Asian Women in Architecture. This is the title of the documentary that traces the journeys of six women architects of South Asian origin working across India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The work opens up a reflection on professional trajectories and on the conditions of visibility for women in contemporary architecture, bringing to light previously unheard stories and perspectives.
The editorial project was officially presented on 10 March in Barcelona by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, within the setting of the celebrated Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, as the outcome of the fourth edition of the Lilly Reich Grant for Equality in Architecture. Far more than an academic celebration, it promotes the study and dissemination of architectural contributions that, because of gender, geographical origin or power dynamics, have been rendered invisible, while also encouraging genuine equal opportunities in contemporary professional practice.
Beyond its documentary function, it is a visual essay exploring the complex professional trajectories of Sumita Singha, Chitra Vishwanath, Sara Khan, Fauzia Qureshi, Sajida Vandal and Neelum Naz.
The narratives gathered in the video outline a vision of architecture as a multifaceted and intrinsically engaged practice: a discipline capable of moving beyond mere formalism to organically integrate design with academic teaching, theoretical and practical research, and social action on the ground — the latter being a theme particularly close to the protagonists of the documentary.
Through direct testimonies, a rigorous focus emerges on issues that had previously remained marginal, such as professional ethics, empathy towards the end user and an environmental responsibility that is not only technological, but also social.
The documentary carefully analyses the difficulty of positioning oneself as a pioneer of structural change within social and professional frameworks often hardened by centuries-old traditions. The narrative dwells on the delicate temporal passage between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, a period in which South Asia was marked by a radical conservatism that imposed on women a professional and social future that was already rigidly prescribed.
The personal experiences recounted range from complex processes of migration — understood as both physical and cultural displacement — to the daily challenges of motherhood, with all the effort required to balance family care and professional demands in an era lacking structural protections. They also touch on political activism for rights and gender equality, and on the resilience needed to work within professional contexts still strongly shaped by patriarchy. In this sense, the documentary shows how these professionals succeeded in tracing autonomous and original paths, establishing themselves as points of reference for future generations seeking an alternative to conventional models of success.
While traditional architectural narratives are often centred on the figure of the individual “master”, the work of these women architects highlights social and participatory approaches.
This is an architecture that does not emerge in a vacuum, but is nourished by constant dialogue with communities and with the specific qualities of local materials and climates. The Lilly Reich Grant for Equality in Architecture effectively brings together the experiences of Indian and Pakistani women architects, taking on a symbolic and diplomatic value of extraordinary importance. It offers a cue that renews the call for a new historiography of architecture, one capable of embracing a plurality of voices and the complexity of transnational narratives.
Cover image: © Transnational Narratives — directed by Igea Troiani and Mamuna Iqbal.
