Are we architects? - Joan Ockman

Are We Architects?
On Education, the Architectural Profession, and Institutional Critique

In the last fifteen years, the education of architects has been under dual pressure. One direction stems from the recalibration of the institutional framework of higher education and is associated with what is sometimes referred to as the "research turn." In response to increasing demands and performance in research, schools of architecture and design have responded with a vaguely articulated approach called "research by design." This "evasion" clearly points to the epistemological divide between architecture and more methodologically anchored scientific fields that conduct research without qualifiers. A fundamentally similar problem, which this time comes from the outside, is usually framed as the issue of theory and practice. This direction of critique often points to the aloofness of architectural education from real issues and the applicability of architectural research to real life. The question of relevance is precisely the acupuncture point that connects doubts about the relationship between academia and architectural practice, as well as doubts about the relevance of the architectural profession to contemporary "Society." Through this process, the epistemological question regarding the nature of architectural education and research transforms into an ontological question: How do we as architects relate to the surrounding world and what role do we want to play in it?

The lecture series "Are We Architects? On Education, the Architectural Profession, and Institutional Critique" is held with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the statutory city of Brno, and the AKTION program.

Concept: Jan Kristek
Production: Karolína Plášková
Graphic Design: David Helešic
Organization: SOFA – Student Community of the Faculty of Architecture
Hosted by: Faculty of Architecture, Brno University of Technology
Partners: Gallery of Architecture Brno, Gallery VI PER, Student Community of the Faculty of Architecture

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