Bauhaus to Ninja

Assassinating Seriousness in Architectural Education

Brady Burroughs

Humor has long been used as a critical tool by architectural critics, but can taking ourselves a little less seriously help transform us into pedagogical ninjas? This talk looks at pedagogical practices that use humor to question the power of seriousness (what is valued) in architectural education. Beginning with a “flop”, we’ll look at some examples from pedagogical situations, where we challenge serious architectural values through practices such as staging critical conversations, shifting positions/changing genres, and relating critical theory to everyday situations to make it more accessible. Wear your most comfortable and colourful zoom-outfit, and bring your sense of humor. If you’ve misplaced yours, feel free to borrow one!

Brady Burroughs (1970) is an architectural educator and writer, interested in questions of positioning and power, experimental pedagogical practices, and making critical ideas accessible beyond academic circles. Co-author/Editor of Ahmed for Architecture Students (2019) and author of Architectural Flirtations: A Love Storey (2016), Brady works as Head of Second Year at KTH School of Architecture in Stockholm, where she holds a PhD in Critical Studies of Architecture.