Dr Rui Aristides Lebre
Rui is an architect and academic devoted to the study of the social, cultural and political implications of space production. His research has involved questioning the political entanglements of Portuguese modern architecture culture (PhD 2017), understanding the role of colonial expert networks in setting the terms for twentieth modernization in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa (Pos-Doc 2018-2021), and more recently examining the history and impact of wartime forced resettlement programs in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique (RegRural Research Project 2021-2023).
His research explores multi-method approaches combining architectural survey with ethnography and digital methods, working across drawing, mapping, oral history and film. This loops into his work as a designer in Til collective exploring the boundaries of architecture through participatory and environmentally responsible design processes.
His current research interests involve exploring human-environment dialectics, working through critical participatory design practices and developing socio-spatial histories that attempt to place design practices within their webs of political meaning.