A Safe Space for Stupidity (2024)
A Safe Space for Stupidity is a photographic series produced during an internship with ALICE, a first-year architecture studio at EPFL, in collaboration with its students.
Ranked as the 9th best university in Europe, EPFL prides itself on its reputation and maintains a rigorous academic environment. Through this project, I sought to explore the relationship ALICE students have with their program, which is known for its demanding schedule, the blurred boundary between academic and personal life, and the near-total immersion in campus life. The studio, an expansive open space spanning several floors, is filled with architectural models, rows of MacBooks on large tables, and dozens of architectural references plastered across the walls. Amid this organized chaos, one quote stood out to me: “A safe space for stupidity,” taken from a masterclass by the South African multidisciplinary artist William Kentridge. This phrase highlights the importance of having both physical and mental space for creativity.
One of the images from this series was selected for inclusion in a series of posters featured in the book Let the Wind Take Care of Everything, published by MÖREL BOOKS in February 2024.