Architecture PhD candidate Basak Eren was selected as a Doctoral Research Resident for the summer 2025 cycle at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal, Canada. The long-standing international residency program supports a select number of PhD students conducting archival research within the CCA Collection. Over four weeks, residents took part in archival research, Toolkit workshop on methodology, doctoral symposia, and seminars by researchers.
Basak’s project on migrant architects and archives engaged with multiple collections, principally the archive of architectural historian Spiro Kostof. Her research explored questions of archival absence and excess, as well as the role of photography as a tool for architectural documentation in Kostof's practices. This was part of her research interrogates the fragmented archives of migrant architects, questioning what is preserved, what is lost, and what falls beyond the boundaries of the archive.
Reflecting on the experience, Basak emphasized the value of the residency in cultivating intellectual exchange: “The program allowed me to engage with a wide variety of scholars from around the world. It was also an incredible opportunity to gain insight into the inner workings of the archives by visiting CCA’s facilities and speaking directly with archivists and specialists.”
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