People
DVDL is an international strategy agency led by David van der Leer. Depending on each project’s needs, we bring together a group of experienced professionals for concept development, forecasting, research, project management, space programming, editorial, and graphic design work.
Our Team
David van der Leer is a cultural strategist, forecaster, and educator dedicated to reimagining institutions and public spaces to envision the most inspiring cultural platforms of tomorrow. As Founder and Principal of DVDL, he leads an interdisciplinary team that works with museums, municipalities, developers, and brands to create experiences that are both visionary and viable.
Learn more about David’s background, collaborations, and recognitions here.
Maria Budtz Sorensen is an urban sociologist and analyst who manages projects with DVDL, focusing on activation of urban spaces through programming, culture, and arts. Maria works to build equity into institutions and processes through a deep understanding of client, user, and community needs. Before coming to DVDL, she worked at AIA New York facilitating public programs on architecture and design. Maria holds an MA in Sociology from Copenhagen University and studied Urban Affairs at Queens College, CUNY.
Vladimir is a designer, researcher, and writer with experience in an array of cultural enterprises. Prior to working at DVDL he was an experiential designer at Yellow Studio working for a range of media clients. Previously he has worked for the architecture office LOHA in Los Angeles, for the photographer Wolfgang Tillmans in Berlin, and as a writer and editor for ArchDaily. He holds Master in Architecture I and Master in Urban Planning degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
from the University of Zagreb, Croatia.
Alexandra is an Italian museum educator and researcher who envisions new ways of living the museum experience. Whether in research or project coordination work for our clients, Alexandra seeks out innovative ways to expand access to museums and to empower individuals through creative learning. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the Fashion Institute of Technology and an M.A. in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University.
Greg Barton is a researcher and curator focused on spatial politics. He holds a MS in Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices in Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP and has worked on projects for/with a number of artists, architects, activists, and nonprofit institutions, including the Canadian Centre for Architecture and Storefront for Art and Architecture. His texts have appeared in various places, most recently in The Museum is Not Enough (CCA/Sternberg Press).