perhaps not the worst, but in my book it may as well be: in my third year of undergraduate studies, the department head was giving my project a crit when he paused in mid-sentence, and asked me if i understood what the word "atomize" meant.
1) "You've taken such a good, clear idea and made it incomprehensible."
2) "You want to know what I think. I'm sorry, but all this project shows is that you have ability but no meaning."
These were both midterm reviews. They went better at the final. In the case of #2, the same juror was there at the last critique. He told then that he liked the project and that he remembered that he was quite brutal with me at the midterm. "I knew you could take it though"....right, barely.
Was the prof. in your story W. Preis. I don't know him too well, but i did have him freshman year for lecture. I can picture him asking about squirrels, and his is wicked old so....If it isn't him, you should give a hint, or just tell us who said that junk...
1) My mother did a PhD in literature. One of her graduate seminars was on a topic that all of the students we so interested in, that no one could do their brief presentation without getting interrupted by a discussion that would make the class run over. But there was one guy who almost never spoke. The day he comes in to do his presentation, he pulls his notes and a revolver out of his briefcase and says, "Today, there will not be any interruptions."
2) In an undergrad sculpture class we had multiple criteria for each project, and on one occasion were assigned to make a project that related to the body. Other than one really cool piece that connected the energy usage of a light bulb to human calorie consumption right before smashing the light bulb, when the instructor would ask each person how the project related to the body, each student would say "well, it's as tall as I am."
I had tried to make a fountain, but the cheap pump I mail ordered was too loud to make a nice quite fountain, and there wasn't time to get a new one before the crit. So I started experimenting with ways to make the water make noise, hoping I could cover most of the sound.
I found these tin pie dishes and welded copper tubing to holes in the bottom of them so that the water would trickle from one to another on it's way down. The final effect was that when you turned the sculpture on (it was displayed in this high ceiling gallery space, so it sounded very loud) it made a noise like a robot warming up, which was then interrupted by a chorus of old men urinating.
When the instructor asked me how the project related to the body, I said "well, it's as tall as I am."
3) After 12 years of work, a professor who I was a TA for is finally publishing his book. Every one of the students who helped with the research is still involved in the project. We all agree that this is going to be a groundbreaking piece of scholarship – the magnum opus of a world-class scholar. Two days ago, he got the cover proofs for approval. It was a picture the title of the book typed in courier, with his name signed in pencil on a rolodex card.
So far there have been thirteen emails blasting the cover design. The best so far, "I think the jacket will appeal primarily to retired librarians."
I know it's an old thread but I just had to add this. There was a studio instructor who had a rep at our school of being a prick. Another instructor, whom I had for an elective, told me he sat in on one of his crits. The studio instructor laced into this girl and she started crying. Then he kept going. It was so harsh that the other instructor sitting in on the crit started to cry himself.
I had a desk crit 3 days before final review for a competition studio where my professor, who had been encouraging the direction I was going in, suddenly told me my project was shit and if I presented it that she would fail me. So I threw out a semester's worth of work, redid everything in 3 days and miraculously won the competition and became "the star of the studio" as she called it.
Snowboarstar2: Pries would never talk about squirrels, and I can say that as someone thats had him for several classes. I think I know who FLM is talking about though.
HA! Um, yeah. Guess you've haven't been to architecture school. Amazingly it's the same across the board. Never heard of a school without legendary stories like these still occuring on a regular basis. Get ready.
prof: "what the fuck?! In the back of the building?! Do you shove food up your ass, too?"
but you know the current deal (in suburbs, at least) is to move the car parking away from the sidewalk, thereby putting the droid entrance at "the back" (or the side), if you consider the sidewalk to be "the front".
i've seen places (like jamba juice or starbucks) that have outdoor seating, like that.
you know being able to accept something negative is a positive experience.... because i missed out my mid sem crit -just a young archi student comment comin through
May 5, 19 10:27 am ·
·
bowling_ball
You just dug up a 13 year old thread. That might be some kind of record. Get back to work!
'Worst' one I heard of was a few reviewers getting in a debate over theory for 3 hours - most of the class was long lost along with the other reviewers.
Faculty ripping models was common in my experience, in particular with studios with multiple projects throughout a semester - part of teaching students 'don't get too attached to your work'; thankfully most instructors were good at making sure students photographed their work before crits.
I also enjoyed comments along the lines of 'understand that you have to be aware of the unintended consequences of a design' in referring to a blind corner on a day care center project that had too much potential as a dealer's corner.
I found good crits to be constructive and brought a sense of humor to be able to laugh at one's own projects.
Worst Crits
sure... a "classmate"...
yes "a classmate"...poor guy...he actually quit architecture...now studying music....
the professor said that? what a dumbass.
"Brad Pitt can do better!"
perhaps not the worst, but in my book it may as well be: in my third year of undergraduate studies, the department head was giving my project a crit when he paused in mid-sentence, and asked me if i understood what the word "atomize" meant.
my worst:
1) "You've taken such a good, clear idea and made it incomprehensible."
2) "You want to know what I think. I'm sorry, but all this project shows is that you have ability but no meaning."
These were both midterm reviews. They went better at the final. In the case of #2, the same juror was there at the last critique. He told then that he liked the project and that he remembered that he was quite brutal with me at the midterm. "I knew you could take it though"....right, barely.
FrankLloydMike,
Was the prof. in your story W. Preis. I don't know him too well, but i did have him freshman year for lecture. I can picture him asking about squirrels, and his is wicked old so....If it isn't him, you should give a hint, or just tell us who said that junk...
Some non architecture crit stories:
1) My mother did a PhD in literature. One of her graduate seminars was on a topic that all of the students we so interested in, that no one could do their brief presentation without getting interrupted by a discussion that would make the class run over. But there was one guy who almost never spoke. The day he comes in to do his presentation, he pulls his notes and a revolver out of his briefcase and says, "Today, there will not be any interruptions."
2) In an undergrad sculpture class we had multiple criteria for each project, and on one occasion were assigned to make a project that related to the body. Other than one really cool piece that connected the energy usage of a light bulb to human calorie consumption right before smashing the light bulb, when the instructor would ask each person how the project related to the body, each student would say "well, it's as tall as I am."
I had tried to make a fountain, but the cheap pump I mail ordered was too loud to make a nice quite fountain, and there wasn't time to get a new one before the crit. So I started experimenting with ways to make the water make noise, hoping I could cover most of the sound.
I found these tin pie dishes and welded copper tubing to holes in the bottom of them so that the water would trickle from one to another on it's way down. The final effect was that when you turned the sculpture on (it was displayed in this high ceiling gallery space, so it sounded very loud) it made a noise like a robot warming up, which was then interrupted by a chorus of old men urinating.
When the instructor asked me how the project related to the body, I said "well, it's as tall as I am."
3) After 12 years of work, a professor who I was a TA for is finally publishing his book. Every one of the students who helped with the research is still involved in the project. We all agree that this is going to be a groundbreaking piece of scholarship – the magnum opus of a world-class scholar. Two days ago, he got the cover proofs for approval. It was a picture the title of the book typed in courier, with his name signed in pencil on a rolodex card.
So far there have been thirteen emails blasting the cover design. The best so far, "I think the jacket will appeal primarily to retired librarians."
I know it's an old thread but I just had to add this. There was a studio instructor who had a rep at our school of being a prick. Another instructor, whom I had for an elective, told me he sat in on one of his crits. The studio instructor laced into this girl and she started crying. Then he kept going. It was so harsh that the other instructor sitting in on the crit started to cry himself.
I had a desk crit 3 days before final review for a competition studio where my professor, who had been encouraging the direction I was going in, suddenly told me my project was shit and if I presented it that she would fail me. So I threw out a semester's worth of work, redid everything in 3 days and miraculously won the competition and became "the star of the studio" as she called it.
Snowboarstar2: Pries would never talk about squirrels, and I can say that as someone thats had him for several classes. I think I know who FLM is talking about though.
are these type of critics representative of the kind of behavior profs can exude at any school? even reputable ones?
pretty hilarious, but hard for me to imagine serious professors acting like this.
HA! Um, yeah. Guess you've haven't been to architecture school. Amazingly it's the same across the board. Never heard of a school without legendary stories like these still occuring on a regular basis. Get ready.
if ever i am invite to crit, i must remember this, and bring along a propane torch (with lighter of course)
but you know the current deal (in suburbs, at least) is to move the car parking away from the sidewalk, thereby putting the droid entrance at "the back" (or the side), if you consider the sidewalk to be "the front".
i've seen places (like jamba juice or starbucks) that have outdoor seating, like that.
yes, we have a major squirrel problem 'round these parts. Multiple eye-witnesses have seen squirrels eating nuts.
but this particularly notorious squirrel has gone a bit too far
don't forget
http://www.scarysquirrel.org/special/movies/geico/
"revolver" and "magnum opus" in the same posting.
you know being able to accept something negative is a positive experience.... because i missed out my mid sem crit -just a young archi student comment comin through
You just dug up a 13 year old thread. That might be some kind of record. Get back to work!
It's a good thread though.
'Worst' one I heard of was a few reviewers getting in a debate over theory for 3 hours - most of the class was long lost along with the other reviewers.
Faculty ripping models was common in my experience, in particular with studios with multiple projects throughout a semester - part of teaching students 'don't get too attached to your work'; thankfully most instructors were good at making sure students photographed their work before crits.
I also enjoyed comments along the lines of 'understand that you have to be aware of the unintended consequences of a design' in referring to a blind corner on a day care center project that had too much potential as a dealer's corner.
I found good crits to be constructive and brought a sense of humor to be able to laugh at one's own projects.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.