Lisa Landrum
In between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Lisa performed seven years of diverse architectural work in New York City and earned her professional license in New York State. She is a registered member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA), and Architecture for Humanity (AfH).
Lisa has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Manitoba since 2008, having previously taught at McGill University in Montreal, Carleton University in Ottawa, Norwich University in Vermont, and at international summer workshops in Rotterdam and Helsinki. She teaches vertical design studios, graduate seminars and undergraduate lectures in the History and Theory of Modern and Pre-modern Architecture.
Dr. Lisa Landrum completed her PhD in the History and Theory of Architecture at McGill University in 2010. Her dissertation explores the mythic bases and poetic origins of architectural acts by interpreting two ancient Greek plays in which the protagonist is called “architect” while directing a scheme of transformation for the common good. These architect-protagonists and the plots they lead not only provide insight into the emergent role of architects in the fifth century BCE, but also vividly dramatize certain representative deeds and ethical dilemmas that remain (to this day) integral to an architect's performance.
Lisa’s research, more generally, encompasses topics in history, theory and design, including: architectural representation, especially dramatic modes of representation implicit in architectural work; representations of architects in drama (from Aristophanes to Ionesco); stories and myths about architectural beginnings; the reciprocity of theatre and architecture, as well as literature and architecture; the creative role of metaphor for architects; and phenomenological, hermeneutic and humanities-based approaches to interpreting contemporary architecture. Lisa has presented aspects of her research at various international conferences. Her publications include two book chapters: “Performing Theoria: Architectural Acts in Aristophanes’ Peace” in Architecture as a Performing Art; and “Ensemble Performances: Architects and Justice in Athenian Drama” in Architecture and Justice: Judicial Meanings in the Public Realm. Other publications include “History and Histrionics: Dramatizing Architectural Inquiry” in Made: Design Education & the Art of Making (University of North Carolina, 2010). Lisa is a member of the Architectural Humanities Research Association (AHRA), the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), and the International Society for the Philosophy of Architecture (ISPA).
Lisa’s creative research also involves devising ephemeral events, including a series of group costumes and pageantry devices that have been collaboratively constructed and performed in public parades. Lisa has exhibited this work, which explores the political and ritual dimensions of collective aesthetic experience, in New York, Berlin, Montreal and Winnipeg.
Visiting artist at Arts Letters & Numbers Summer Workshop 2013.
