Sitting Still explores the life and work of Laurie Olin—one of the world’s most influential urban designers and his profoundly social vision. Hailed as a modern-day Olmsted, Olin has transformed the design of public space and paved the way for future design leaders.
This rare, intimate documentary portrait invites viewers inside the mind of a brilliant and irreverent iconoclast—to see what he sees, feel what inspires him, and hear his urgent call to confront the environmental challenges shaping our collective future like never before.
Sitting Still brings into focus the critical issues which have defined Olin’s life and work: urbanization and our lost connection to nature, economic marginalization, and the grave importance of humanity in design.
In a time when global values increasingly reflect “profit over people,” Olin's motivation has always been to create a more democratic and egalitarian society through healthy, shared public space. Environmental and human stakes have simply never been higher. In many ways, the most pressing challenges of the natural environment and social disunity can be healed through the power of landscape.
Sitting Still invites the voices of other design luminaries into the conversation, including architectural visionaries Frank Gehry and Billie Tsien, and esteemed landscape designer and artist, Walter Hood, among others. 2024, U.S., DCP, 93 minutes. Recommended for 15+.
Co-presented with AIA CKC, KAPA, and ASLA KY.