Matthew is currently a PhD candidate at the Liverpool School of Architecture, having worked in the United Kingdom and the United States for a number of successful architectural practices. Over the last few years, his interest in Russian Modernism, more specifically the VKhUTEMAS (Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops), have drawn him away from the day to day workings of Architecture to pursue a better understanding of the influence of Art in Architecture.

His research is looking at the influence of Art in Architecture through the teaching methods at the VKhUTEMAS, which became the most extraordinary institution in advanced art in the world through experimental work in artistic design. Matthew’s thesis focus lies in particular on the work of Soviet Architect Nikolai Ladovsky (1881–1941), who became a pioneer in implementing a new methodology into the school to educate artists for the social good. One of the key faculty departments he will be exploring from Nikolai Ladovsky “OBMAS” faculty is his world famous “Space” course. To break away from the limitations of classical Architectural training, Ladovsky designed a completely new course “Space” developing spatial perception – prior to exposing students to elements of Architectural legacy.

Matthew’s research intentions will be to evaluate the importance the “Space” course played in pedagogical teaching at the VKhUTEMAS, emphasising how the course represents the legacy of the school. A focal point in his research will be exploring how the “Space” course influenced pedagogical teaching in other institutions as well as pursuing changes to today’s current pedagogical teaching. This approach is inspired by the notion that the influence of Art in Architecture is a branch of cultural history and how people can read the language in the same way as the school intended it to be read is something which has inspired his theses.