Under the shade of an allée of old trees in Venice’s Giardini, a flash mob of nearly 200 women attending the preview of the Venice Architecture Biennale gathered Friday morning to press for equity, tolerance, and openness in architecture. Part of a movement called Voices of Women, the demonstration was led by French architect Odile Decq and Martha Thorne, executive director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and dean of the architecture school at IE University in Madrid. As Thorne read the group’s manifesto, demonstrators waved fans in support of combatting “pervasive prejudices and disrespectful behavior that appears to be systemic in our culture and discipline. We are united in denouncing discrimination, harassment and aggressions against any member of our community. We will not tolerate it. We will not stand silent.”

Among the architects who came together to voice their support were Jeanne Gang, Marion Weiss, Toshiko Mori, Louise Braverman, Caroline Bos, Anna Heringer, Winka Dubbeldam, Farshid Moussavi, Doriana Fuksas, Nondita Mehrotra, and Marina Tabassum.