THURSDAY MAY 14
TALK: WE <3 COOKIE CUTTER HOUSING
Urban Room @ Van Alen Institute, 303 Bond St, Brooklyn
6pm-8pm
RSVP in bio.
Join us for a lecture and conversation with Daniel Jonas Roche, Brad Isnard, and Zara Pfeifer — exhibition curators of JESSOR — on the history of radical, affordable housing in New York City through a new lens. On view at Citygroup through May 23, Jessor features original photographs, drawings, and biographical research about Herman Jessor, the most prolific affordable housing architect in New York City history.
Between 1925 and 1974, Herman Jessor designed over 40,000 units of cooperative housing, often generic in appearance. With his primary clients — the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union, and United Housing Foundation — Jessor oversaw the construction of Co-op City, Penn South, Rochdale Village, and Starrett City, to name a few.
This lecture will revisit Jessor and the politico-economic machine which supported the astounding volume of mass-produced, limited-equity cooperative housing he achieved. For architects, planners, and politicians that aspire to build a “Mitchell Lama 2.0” program in order to tackle today’s housing crisis, learning from the immigrant architect Herman Jessor is a good place to start.
This event is free with RSVP. Light refreshments will be served.
6 pm: Doors open
6:30 pm: Lecture
7:15 pm: Reception
RSVP in bio.
As part of my ‚77 Palms‘ series, I invited architect Adam Sherman @__sherm__ to contribute a drawing:
Los Angeles, March 5, 2026, 1:24 PM
A study of the shadows cast by palm trees at the same time across the city, on north–south, east–west, and oblique streets.
Street locations encountered by Pfeifer were shared as coordinates from Los Angeles; Sherman reconstructed the sites via Google Maps and then translated them into a drawing from Vienna.
From top: Sunset Blvd, Colorado Ave, N Berendo St, S Palm Dr, N Broadway, W 23rd St, S Highland Ave.
Exhibited as a 36 x 24 inches poster at the MAK Center Garage Top, within „Final Projects: Group LVIII“, March 2026 @makcenter
One of the projects I’ve been working on during my @makcenter residency in Los Angeles:
‚77 Palms‘
The palm tree is one of the most iconic images of Los Angeles – tall, slender, set against a clear blue sky. Yet this symbol of a natural oasis is largely man-made. The palms lining LA’s boulevards are not native to California; they were imported from Mexico and widely planted in preparation for the 1932 Olympic Games. Today, many are reaching the end of their natural lifespan.
What to do with these aging trees has become a subject of public debate: replant them, or replace them with native species? Palms provide little shade and are costly to maintain. The Mexican palm naturally forms a “skirt” of dead leaves below its crown, which must be regularly trimmed by professionals in forklifts. Left unattended, the tree attracts wildlife and vermin and becomes a serious fire hazard, as the dry fronds can turn into windborne kindling.
During her residency at the MAK Schindler House, Zara Pfeifer photographed the maintenance of these iconic trees, following crews trimming palms near power lines, and found the city’s oldest palm tree with its own commemorative plaque and Wikipedia page. She also visited a natural palm oasis in Palm Springs, a town where telecommunication poles are disguised as palms.
The title of the series comes from the 77 palm trees that were planted around the new wing of LACMA, a landscaping decision that was widely criticized, especially after recent wildfires. As the climate becomes hotter and more brittle, the question is how much risk is acceptable in order to preserve the postcard perfection of LA.
Text @stellarooss
Installation views of „Final Projects: Group LVIII“ at the MAK Center Garage Top and inside my studio at the Mackey Apartments, March 2026.
‚During her residency at the MAK Center, Zara Pfeifer documented the hidden labor behind iconic landmarks across Los Angeles, from the Hollywood Sign and palm trees to the Hollyhock House. Through photography and interviews, she examines how maintenance and infrastructure shape the city's visible landscape.‘
Curated by @jamisonkh4@makcenter
‚Cell Trees‘
Outdoor Installation at David Horvitz‘s 7th Ave Garden @davidhorvitz in March 2026
1911 7th Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90018
Mesh vinyl prints,
60 x 90 and 29 x 40 inches
Exhibition JESSOR
On view through May 23, 2026
Citygroup New York @citygroupnyc 📍 104B Forsyth Street, New York
Thurs-Sat, 2—6PM
Curated by Zara Pfeifer, Daniel Jonas Roche, and Brad Isnard @zarapfeifer@danjoroche #bradisnard
With support by Katie Ladd @katieladd
Graphic design by Geoff Han @geoffhan
Supported by @grahamfoundation
Next Thursday evening, @zarapfeifer will present her long-term project Du, meine konkrete Utopie (My Concrete Utopia), focused on the large-scale housing complex Alterlaa in Vienna. Built in the 1970s and 1980s and home to around 10,000 residents, the project examines the communal spaces within the complex, including over 30 resident-run clubs, from jiu-jitsu to ballroom dancing.
Over four years, Pfeifer lived on site, met residents, and joined the photo club. Through her work, she reflects on how shared spaces shape everyday life, raising broader questions about collective living and the social fabric of architecture.
Zara Pfeifer is an artist and photographer based in Berlin and Vienna, currently a MAK Center Artist-in-Residence Los Angeles. Her work focuses on the social dimensions of large-scale infrastructure. Through long-term, immersive projects, she examines how architecture and logistics shape everyday life.
$15 suggested, link in bio 🎟️
Architect-in-Residence Highlight – Zara Pfeifer (@zarapfeifer )
Join us this Thursday, March 5 at 6:00 PM to see Zara Pfeifer’s new work presented at the Mackey Apartments in “Final Projects: Group LVIII,” the culmination of the 58th iteration of the Artists- and Architects-in-Residence Program.
Zara Pfeifer is an artist based in Vienna and Berlin whose work engages with the social phenomena of large-scale infrastructure. During her residency at the Mackey Apartments, Pfeifer has been documenting the hidden labor behind iconic landmarks across Los Angeles, from the Hollywood Sign and palm trees to the Hollyhock House. Through photography and interviews, she examines how maintenance and infrastructure shape the city’s visible landscape, presented as a large-scale outdoor installation.
Zara Pfeifer studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and photography at the Friedl Kubelka School for Artistic Photography in Vienna. Since 2019, she has been teaching a seminar on architectural photography at the Technical University of Vienna. Her work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles, the Academy of Arts in Berlin, and the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.
For more information about “Final Projects: Group LVIII,” and to RSVP, please visit the link in our bio!
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"Final Projects: Group LVIII"
Mackey Apartments, 1137 S. Cochran Ave, Los Angeles
Friday, March 6, 2026 – Sunday, March 8, 2026
Visiting Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Opening Reception
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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Images: Zara Pfeifer, “Wild Site,” 2024. Installation view by Paul Sebesta. “Maintenance,” 2023. Installation view by the artist. “Du, meine konkrete Utopie,” 2019. Installation view by the artist. “ICC Berlin,” 2023. Installation view by Clara Grillmaier.
"Final Projects: Group LVIII" is supported by the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles (@austriainla ). The Artists- and Architects-in-Residence Program at the Mackey Apartments is organized and led by the MAK Center in cooperation with the MAK — Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (@mak_vienna ).
