My end-of-year design crit last July began the same way as all the others: I presented my architectural scheme, then waited for a panel of tutors to assess the work. Perhaps the proposal failed to excite the panel, or perhaps - like the students -they were suffering from sleep-deprivation; in any case I found the energy of the discussion lacking. But rather than suffer through a weak response I found myself irritably demanding that they make more of an effort. Bemused, the panel couldn't seem to decide who, as it were, was judging whom? Were they deciding if I should pass? Or was I deciding if they'd provided value for money? I was not being flippant. I'd been reflecting on the problem for some time, and intended to expose the fundamental ambiguity at the core of neoliberal education: am I the consumer of a service, or the product of a system?
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