The Story of… Me,
Being a passionate architect always has its positive and negative sides. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but the good thing is that our eyes are somehow trained to observe and even feel. Observation and feeling connect the dots and create narratives. I inherited this love for architecture from my late father, who was a professor and architect himself. Through his eyes I learned what it means to really see. He taught me that every little detail that crosses my path has a meaning and a reason, and every person I meet tells the story of that detail in a different way, and that's why stories are great.
Immediately after graduating in 2001, I worked in academia for 13 years. Throughout this journey I was keen on teaching my students to always look around, to see the details, to listen to people, and to smell the scents floating around in the air. Through this mix of elements, they learned to tell the stories of their projects and they never failed to impress me as their mentor.
In 2013, I moved to Hamburg and soon became a mum. Motherhood was another phase in my life that helped me to look at things with a different eye (and a high level of progesterone!). It certainly shaped my attitude and development in terms of how I tell a story, because you see,as a mum I had plenty of time on my hands. So I went out and walked around with the baby, visited new (to me) quieter streets, drank 5,384,852,456 coffees in various interesting cafes, met new people and heard lots of stories. I also travelled to many cities in Europe and the Middle East and learned a lot during my travels. Being able to speak different languages was the right tool to learn the real stories behind what I saw along the way. My husband (who is from Hamburg) has also played a big role in making me aware of many hidden gems in Hamburg and other cities across Europe (and sometimes he gives me tips on what to write next, thanks Jan :) )
Besides motherhood, I am also an avid researcher. I always try to find the connections between these narratives and the history/politics that shaped them. My research mainly embraces a political approach by questioning the societal changes in different spaces. So you can say that both the architect in me and the researcher, and above all my existence as a woman, they all have stories to tell.
If you are interested in stories about spaces, tales of places and narrations of people, keep checking 'The Stories of...' to see what story I tell next.
I am also happy to hear from you through: bedour.braker@janbraker.de
Photo of me on the beautiful black lands of Lanzarote- Canary Islands , 2018