"Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall" by Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck

In their thesis project, graduate students Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck engage with architectural pedagogy by exploring time and it's relation to the design process. According to the duo, "Architecture needs a new generation of practitioners that can think differently about time."

Recent graduates from MIT's School of Architecture, Marblestone and Whitbeck make use of time-based media to work through their thesis project Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall. Archinect connected with the duo to learn more about their exploration and dissection of contemporary design pedagogy and their thoughts on the architecture industry as a whole.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were canceled or changed dramatically, and now these students are graduating into an extremely challenging employment market. To support the 2020 class we're launching a summer series of features highlighting the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid COVID-19. Be sure to follow our 2020 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall: ENVIRONMENT by Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck

Architecture needs a new generation of practitioners that can think differently about time. This thesis focuses on rethinking the true beginning of the design profession, the moment of inception, the first-year design studio.

The thesis’ fictional course is structured as a pedagogical experiment that establishes a working methodology focused on time and perception, rather than program and form.

Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall: MATTER by Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck

Briefly describe your thesis project.

Contemporary design pedagogy has failed to produce architects that can operate effectively within time-based global crises. In their attempts to address issues of sustainability and resiliency, architects have trapped themselves in a false binary, understanding structures to be either temporary or permanent. However, this considers only time-span. This shallow understanding of time has stifled the work produced by students and professionals today and reinforces the use of static mediums and conventions of orthography. Architecture needs a new generation of practitioners that can think differently about time.

This thesis focuses on rethinking the true beginning of the design profession, the moment of inception, the first-year design studio. The thesis’s fictional course is structured as a pedagogical experiment that establishes a working methodology focused on time and perception, rather than program and form. The studio’s curriculum engages a new critical eye on time, one that embraces its recursivity, and taps into the cyclical nature of students’ time spent working day to day, week to week, semester to semester. This new framework around time mandates the use of time-based media at the very beginning of the design process. Students work through video, sound and material fabrication to operate within concepts of cyclical time on multiple scales. The videos produced for this thesis represent a selection of student work from this fictional studio.

Propagating this pedagogy through an entire architectural education could produce a fleet of architects that are capable of addressing architecture through time. How could this then redirect the course of the profession?

With universities already restructuring their semester schedules, architecture programs will have to get creative with how their curriculum fits into these new time frames.

How did your project change as studios transitioned to remote learning?

We were fortunate enough to submit our thesis in January 2020, just before the pandemic reached the United States. We’ve kept closely in touch with our peers that worked through the Spring semester and have heard a range of reactions to remote learning. While universities were forced to adapt their policies on the fly in Spring of 2020, the Fall semester is a chance to re-think some established norms. With universities already restructuring their semester schedules, architecture programs will have to get creative with how their curriculum fits into these new time frames. This upcoming semester is an opportunity for pedagogical experimentation. Perhaps a series of shorter-length, collaborative workshops would be more flexible than traditional studios. 

Though exhibiting your project in these remote-learning environments might require more creativity or learning new skills, it is an opportunity to question and re-think the typical pin-up presentation style of most architecture schools.

Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall: PERCEPTION by Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck

Any tips for students working through their final projects?

Craft your presentation to lead the kind of conversations you want to have around your project. 

Present your project to an audience, constantly. While desk-crits and check-ins with peers and advisors are essential, especially now when you might be working alone, it is important to continue to prioritize the delivery and framing of your work. Though exhibiting your project in these remote-learning environments might require more creativity or learning new skills, it is an opportunity to question and re-think the typical pin-up presentation style of most architecture schools. Craft your presentation to lead the kind of conversations you want to have around your project. 

How do you feel about the architecture industry right now and job prospects?

Both of us were lucky enough to find jobs just before this crisis, but we know from our colleagues' experiences that entry-level full-time positions are scarce at the moment. While there are signs that this is changing, the architecture industry operates at such large time-scales and is connected to so many different markets that we may not see what the full impacts of this recession are for quite a while. No doubt this uncertainty is the main concern for employers at the moment.