Another Monterey Design Conference (MDC) has come and gone, and usually with it, there is a bevy of photos from the event to present in slideshow fashion to remind attendees what an incredible time was had, and to entice those who only thought about attending to mark the calendar for the next (which will be October 28 – 30, 2022).
MDC On the Road, held virtually in the hopes of giving the viewers insight into the keynote speakers as they shared videos about their spaces, their processes, and participated in a small interview, often in their time zone, live with Kroloff. And while hundreds tuned in to watch, there seemed to be a rather positive phenomenon to occur. More than one attendee described the virtual experience—either in breakout chats, on social media platforms, or in talking with staff–one word was used over and over: optimism.
From gregarious and intellectually challenging emcee, Reed Kroloff, to headliners such as Howeler + Yoon, Aidlin Darling, Emmanuelle Moureaux, Eduardo Souto De Moura, Amanda Levete, Leddy Maytum Stacy, there was an abundance of knowledge, insight, inspiriation, and the simplicity of pure joy the built world communicates.
One attendee described the packed two-day event as a celebration—“the way these architects found pure joy in the actual doing of the work and the research” was something he hadn’t expected.
Next year, as mentioned above, MDC will head back to Asilomar, to be among the Julia Morgan, FAIA buildings and the fresh sea air. But in the meantime, the 600 attendees of this one have smiles on their faces and a new outlook on why they are even in the architecture profession.
All sessions will be available to attendees for the next 60 days.
It’s quite a feat—to provide to simultaneously provide joy and inspiration through a one-dimensional platform of a computer monitor. And yet, many can confirm that is exactly what happened.
