Alumni couple offers a video installation on AAP's Class of 1962

By Susan Lang

Video producers Phil and Maddy Handler have spent the past year making a special video to commemorate the 40th Cornell reunion of Phil's Class of 1962.

A graduate of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Phil Handler (B.Arch. '64 and M.Arch '65) and his wife, Maddy (B.S. '65), have, over three years, videotaped 23 AAP graduates, gathering their reflections on their Cornell years and creative careers.

The resulting video project for this year, "Capturing Cornell Classmates," consists of eight, six-minute vignettes spotlighting 1962 AAP graduates. It will run continuously during this year's Reunion weekend in the Hartell Gallery of Sibley Hall, today, June 6, through Saturday, June 8, along with an exhibition of the featured alums' works. On Friday, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., six of the featured architects in the video and the Handlers will take part in a reception and symposium, moderated by Kent Hubbell, Cornell dean of students and professor of architecture, in 157 East Sibley Hall to discuss how their experiences in AAP shaped their careers.

"Maddy and I have traveled all over the country to interview these former classmates to produce an archival record on why these people came to Cornell, what their experiences here were like, what their work has consisted of since, and their reflections on life," explained Phil Handler.

Added Maddy Handler: "We try in editing each video to capture the essence of the classmate as a person and to add music and pictures from their work and workplace as well as appropriate Cornell images so we have a more dynamic presentation."

After having been an architect for 25 years, Phil, in 1991, launched his Fly on the Wall Productions® (flyonwall.com), which documents the construction process for construction managers, municipalities, corporations and educational institutions, using video and digital photographs. Maddy, who helps Phil on the Cornell projects, uses her creative flair to whittle down more than two hours of raw footage taken of each participant into a finished six-minute vignette. This is the third of the Handlers' Cornell video installations created for Reunion weekends. They are a labor of love, they say -- all volunteer time -- and a gift to their alma mater, both for AAP and the University Archives. The Handlers plan to produce similar video projects for the next two reunions as well.

Those members of the AAP Class of 1962 who will be taking part in the exhibitors' symposium in 157 E. Sibley Hall Friday and who also are featured in the video are:

• Don and Arlene Matzkin, a couple with a small architecture firm in Philadelphia, Friday Architects, which does work for nonprofits and community-based organizations, such as architectural work for community centers.

• Clark Halstead, who recently sold his firm, Halstead Properties, in New York City focuses on high-end residential properties. Halstead has a radio program on real estate advice on WQXR, a New York City radio station, and is a serious photographer; some of his work will be on display at reunion.

• Margo Hebald, whose specialty was designing interiors of medical facilities in her architectural practice in Los Angeles, manages the work of her father, Milton Hebald, an established sculptor. Her photographs of orchids will be on display at the exhibition.

• Larry Hoffman, whose Ithaca architectural practice, HOLT Architects, has had many major projects, including the revamping of Cornell's Rockefeller Hall, the dean's suite in Goldwin Smith Hall and buildings at Ithaca College and Cayuga Medical Center.

• Harvey Kaufman, whose architectural practice in New Canaan, Conn. focuses on commercial interiors. He also created Invision Inc., a company in New Canaan that inventories the spaces of large hospitals and other institutions to determine how space could be used more efficiently.

The two who cannot make it to the symposium but are highlighted in the video and exhibition are:

• Tom Schumacher, a professor of architecture at the University of Maryland, who works in Italy during the summers and writes parody songs about architecture. His songs and books will be on display.

• Jaime Cobas of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who does designs (including everything from interiors to furnishings, towels, dishes and party invitations) for homes of wealthy clients.

For more information on the video installation and the symposium and exhibition, contact Walter Williams at wcw3@cornell.edu or 255-1501.