Dr Willem de Bruijn

Senior Lecturer – BA (Hons) Architecture and Postgraduate Course Tutor – MRes ArtsPhD, M.Sc., FHEA

Overview

Dr. Willem de Bruijn (PhD, MSc, FHEA) studied architecture at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and KTH Stockholm. He holds a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture (2010) from The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. He has been a guest lecturer and visiting lecturer at Chelsea College of Art and Design, Westminster University (School of Architecture) and University of East London (School of Architecture), where he taught a variety of subjects, including history and theory of architecture, critical theory and philosophy of art. Willem has also worked as an associate researcher at the Arcadian Library in London and as a freelance designer and editor for publications such as Sigmund Freud’s Desk: An Anecdoted Guide by Ro Spankie (Freud Museum London, 2015) and Magic in Art (TheGallery, AUB, 2017).

Willem joined Arts University Bournemouth in 2015 to teach Contextual Studies on the BA (Hons) Architecture and Master of Architecture courses. In 2020, Willem took up the additional role of Postgraduate Award Leader/Course Leader for the MRes Arts (Master of Research), which offers students in the arts an opportunity to acquire skills in research in preparation for doctoral study. Alongside his academic work, Willem is active as an artist and has participated in various group shows in the UK and abroad, most recently at Loudest Whispers 2024 in London.

Qualifications

PhD History and Theory of Architecture (University of London)
M.Sc. Architecture (TU Delft)

Teaching Qualification

PGCAP, Supervising Research Degrees (SEDA)

Teaching

Dr. Willem de Bruijn currently teaches on the BA (Hons) Architecture, M.Arch., and MRes Arts courses at AUB. He also supervises research degrees in the areas of architecture, urban studies, fine art (drawing) and design.

Courses

Research

Research Interests and Projects

Willem's research is underpinned by a broad interest in architecture, art and design. Central to his work is a concern with the image understood as a form of cultural currency, where visualisation is understood to be different from representation. Willem is particularly interested in discursive uses of the image that challenge the predominantly verbal narratives of art and design history, where images tend to stand in service of the word. Taking inspiration from the work of art historian Aby Warburg (1866–1929) and his famous Mnemosyne Atlas (1927–29), Willem has been developing a form of image-led research based on Warburg's method of pictorial juxtaposition, or 'image argumentation' (Bildargumentation), to construct new narratives – visual narratives – through collage. He is currently working on a book that puts Warburg's method to the test in an attempt to expand ‘visual literacy’ and ‘visual learning’ to encompass a critical deployment of the image across the arts.

Research Supervision

Dr. Willem de Bruijn currently supervises two doctoral students at AUB (both as DoS). He's interested in receiving PhD applications for research in the areas of architecture, architectural history and theory, design and fine art. Please refer to the Research page on the AUB website for further details.

Completions:

Lund, D. (2021). Ingenious adaptations: The development of the professionally-made architectural model in Britain, 1883-2020. PhD thesis, Arts University Bournemouth/UAL.
Losq, J. (2023). Layered visions through the Teleorama: Constructing Sites of Ruination through Contemporary Drawing Practice. PhD Thesis, Arts University Bournemouth/UAL.
Moss, J. (2023). The Discarded Garment in Motion in 1950s and 1960s Narrative Film through the Lens of Drawing. PhD Thesis, Arts University Bournemouth/UAL.

Examinations: 1 (PhD).