Full Howz : A Sharing Driven Process

Follow @wip.ish on IG for accompanying images (Fig. 172 - 189).

Full Howz is an architectural podcast designed and written by Khorshid Naderi-Azad. If you’re reading this and suddenly reminded of a late 80’s family sitcom (Fig. 172), it’s probably because your pronouncing the word howz incorrectly : 

Howz, pronounced “hoze” (though Khorshid would say “hoes”) not “houze,” is an architectural element found at the center of traditional Iranian courtyard houses in the form of a shallow pool (Fig. 173) - but it’s not a pool (Fig. 174). There exists little material that intellectualizes / theorizes the howz, but Khorshid, argues that this very minuscule architectural element is what holds the Iranian typology together : It is a simultaneously utilitarian, social, and spiritual object, but I won’t spell it out for you here (though I will share some of @fullhowz’ delightful imagery (Fig. 175 - 176)). You’ll just have to listen to Full Howz’ first episode to hear her more on the howz  - available on Apple, Spotify or wherever else you listen to your podcasts (Fig. 177).

But Full Howz isn’t all about the howz. The first episode is, but the following episodes seek out other conceptual howz out there. Does that make sense?

Let me put it to you this way : What are the non-Eurocentric precedents that we need to do the work to uncover? In other words, @fullhowz isn’t interested in perpetually discussing the “shiny things” on top of the ground that we can’t seem to stop talking about (Corb, Mies, ducks, sheds, and monuments (Fig. 178) - the list goes on, as we all know). Instead, @fullhowz is interested in endlessly digging (however long it takes) in order to uncover the things we don’t talk about because we don’t know about them. Finding these under-discussed / completely ignored precedents and putting them into conversation will only make our work (and ultimately the architectural canon) better. But the process of finding such material isn’t always clear… though it does seem to be driven by joy - and fun. And I can see that quite clearly : From the very beginning Khorshid has collaborated with friends far and near to help her make @fullhowz (Fig. 179). 

When I asked Khorshid how she conceived of her second episode, she said she found herself putting off working on @fullhowz in order to research the origins of the Bon Appétit test kitchen due to pure curiosity. This came as a direct result of reading through the multiple accusations of racism in one of her favorite publications, Bon Appétit (BA) : 

About a month ago, the giant fanbase of the show blew up as a series of events revealed racism in the publication manifest in many ways included the fact that the non-white cast members / chefs were not compensated for video work. Sohla El-Waylly, who is one of the cast members, put the show and the publication on blast in her Instagram stories (Fig.180), and shortly after they went live, the editor in chief and head of video of BA quit. These events made me think about what happens when I consume content faster than I can meaningfully engage with it. It also made me think about the BA test kitchen… [1]

In actuality, Khorshid had previously set up a completely different topic she was prepared to tackle when she started to see the (conceptual) howz forming right in front of her face : A short-n-sweet article published January 2013 (Fig. 181) announcing BA’s move into their new test kitchen confirmed the topic of Episode 02 when they mentioned the 1972 Ebony Test Kitchen. 

The same BA article that indicated @fullhowz’ next topic of interest, mentioned architecture photographer and author of Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side, Lee Bey. As Khorshid continued to research the Ebony Test Kitchen and pictures of its “chromatic psychedelic saturated glory,” she continually came across Bey’s name. Finally, she decided to reach out to Bey via LinkedIn (Fig. 182), with low expectations he would get back to her - but he did. Bey agreed to an interview and in the end, kindly handed Khorshid the names of various individuals associated to the Ebony Test Kitchen, all of which she ended up successfully tracking down and featuring on Full Howz’ second episode - but I’ll let you listen to her tell that story.

As Khorshid continues to publish and develop @fullhowz, she has been obsessively sharing her work - as finalized episodes, but also as WIP thoughts for upcoming episodes - to both friends and mentors alike via email, IG DMs, and WhatsApp messages. And surprisingly, people have started sending things back that have allowed her work to continue to progress in surprising ways: 

For example, Daniel Haidermota (GSD MArch I ’22), invited Khorshid to discuss @fullhowz on the GSD Radio (Fig. 183). Daniel also suggested I jump onboard, as a close friend (but also as the very new author of WIP-ish), to discuss the pod with her. You can listen to that recording here : https://mixlr.com/gsd-radio/showreel/in-studio-full-howz . 

Khorshid ended up sharing (Fig. 184) this radio segment with artist, architectural historian, and theorist Esther Choi (also the recent author of Le Corbuffet). She didn’t previously know Esther but wanted to share with her because we wrapped up our GSD Radio discussion by pointing to her and Dong Ping Wong’s current engagement with BIPOC architecture students / recent graduates via their newly formed initiative, Office Hours (OH). The next morning, Esther shared Full Howz on her own IG stories : 

I would highly encourage those of you into architecture, food critical race theory, new historicism, and all of the above (like moi) to listen to this fascinating episode about the Ebony Test Kitchen (!). There were so many smart points about cultural appropriation, the importance of preservation and cultural memory, and challenging the historical canon delivered in engaging narrative. It’s super well done. Food writers and journalists should take note! Same with @bonappetitmag!! (Fig. 185)

In response to listening to @fullhowz’ first episode, Liwei Wang sent Khorshid an interview he had with Yale Schwarzman Center discussing a studio-focused research project made in collaboration with Ray Wu and Winston Yuen titled “Chinatown Stories” (Fig. 186). Liwei felt this project was in line with @fullhowz’ goal to discuss “often-ignored artifacts of architecture” (Fig. 187).

This got Khorshid thinking : 

In the wake of racist COVID hysteria, NYC’s Chinatown has been hit particularly hard. Even as New York has transitioned to reopen, Chinatown continues to be faced with difficulties - especially in regard to outdoor dining. Khorshid shared her thoughts of a possible upcoming episode on Chinatown with friends, though she wasn’t sure yet what the focus of the episode might be. In the weeks to follow, Khorshid was sent some relevant links (Fig. 188) to Assembly Chinatown, a collaboration between Think Chinatown!, a network of Chinatown neighbors and dedicated volunteers led by Yin Kong and Amy Chin, and A+A+A, a woman-led, multidisciplinary design collective led by Andrea Chiney, Arianna Deane, and Ashley Kuo. Together Think Chinatown! and A+A+A have begun to design and build outdoor dining according to health standards and DOT Regulations (189). 

Ah…. another (conceptual) howz in sight.

I can’t say more since Khorshid is currently working on this third @fullhowz episode, but what I will say, is this : As Khorshid digs to find these largely untouched and under-appreciated precedents, she says the people surrounding them, doing their own work in relation to them, want to share their knowledge about them. It’s up to us to do the work to find these largely untouched gems and ask about them. These conceptual howz are everywhere… We just don’t know about them - or maybe we do and we just don’t make space for them - but @fullhowz does. 

If bearing witness to Khorshid’s process has taught me anything, it’s that we should strive to continually share our work with our friends, our family, and our mentors - not only in its finalized state, but as we work through all of its varied and uncomfortable kinks because it helps the work grow in ways we couldn’t have catalyzed on our own. For Khorshid, sharing her work as she goes seems to be a deeply ingrained part of her process - you might even say it is her process. 

Stay tuned for @fullhowz’ upcoming episode - out very soon : The Street Dining & the Sweet Dumpling. And don’t forget to leave a review! 

Follow @wip.ish on IG for accompanying images (Fig. 172 - 189). On that note, I also want to know what, where, and how you make! DM or email me at wip.ishhh@gmail.com with unsolicited WIP images or #wip posts with an optional caption and IG handle to be featured on the WIP-ish IG : 

This week’s featured WIP is Doña Viviana Alavés as captured by @samyoukilis (Fig. 190). I saw this beautiful WIP as reposted on someone’s IG story recently and it made me so happy. Viviana is head of Casa Viviana, a wax workshop located in Teotitlán del Valle, about an hour away from Oaxaca. This workshop is four generations old and they specialize in ornate wax candles decorated with intricate wax flowers. The flowers are made by dipping (equally beautiful) sculpted wooden tools into dyed wax, which is then dipped into cold water to instantly dry the wax. The wax is then gently peeled off and layered into a flower which is shaped by hand. I was previously familiar with these kinds of candles, but I never would have thought they were made via these wooden tools… 

[1] Naderi-Azad, Khorshid. Full Howz. Episode 02 : “The Test Kitchen & Best Snitchin’”. 10.05.20.