8 Beyond the Studio | MArch Dissertation (left) Alcan Zekia: Samples of Bath stone for masonry students at Bath College, Radstock [Photo: Alcan Zekia] Dissertation Richard Difford, Lindsay Bremner, Harry Charrington, Davide Deriu, Kate Jordan, Diana Periton, Shahed Saleem, Ro Spankie, Ben Stringer (right) Elise Billings-Evans: Derelict building , formerly part of Cane Hill Hospital [Photo: Elise Billings-Evans] THE AIM OF the MArch disser tation is to encourage students to develop their ability to reflect critically, and with a degree of self-consciousness and confidence, on a topic relevant to architecture or urbanism. Each student chooses their own subject but the interests explored emerge out of research that begins almost a year earlier in the first year History & Theory seminar groups. Within these groups the students are guided by tutors well versed in a broad range of interests and research methods, and committed to suppor ting the individual specialisms and scholarship of each student. A range of topics and a plurality of approaches is therefore encouraged. Ultimately, the ambition is that these disser tations will be distinguished, not by their adherence to any par ticular methodology, dogma or style, but by their high quality. This year was no exception and there were many outstanding disser tations produced. Highlights include Philippa Oakes’ Curation & Creation in aWounded Landscape, which looks at the abandoned coastal district of Varosha in nor thern Cyprus. Drawing on the experiences of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, this account of Varosha past and present is both fascinating and moving. Persuasively written this study highlights the tension between the very real personal sadness and trauma of those directly affected by events in Varosha and the strange fascination that this district now has as a place frozen in time. Equally insightful, Alcan Zekia’s Following the Stone: An Anthropogenic Histor y of Bath Stone, brings together normally separated histories of Bath stone to position this revered material in the context of contemporary theoretical studies concerning climate change and the Anthropocene. Also of note were Elise Billings-Evans’ Asylum Seekers, which looks at the exploration and documentation of abandoned asylum buildings; Chantal Barnes’ Jacques Road: A Study of the Evolution of Garrison Communities in Kingston, Jamaica; and Zadee Garrigue’s study of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, entitled Gender, Identity & Nature. The high standard of the MArch disser tations is also evidenced by the recognition they receive beyond the university. Earlier this year, former MArch student, Sharaye Campbell’s disser tation, The Doorstep was featured in the Society of Architectural Historians’ Race+Ethnicity blog post series (https://www.sahgb.org.uk/features/doorstep). This is just the latest in a long line of successes including several disser tation medal winners and the publication of MArch students’ research in leading academic journals.
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