About
David Burns is a Professor leading Media Studies at the RCA School of Architecture. He holds a PhD from Goldsmiths’ Centre for Research Architecture, an MSAAD from Columbia University, and a BArch from the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on media’s role in documenting nuclear colonialism, particularly the Maralinga site’s history. Burns previously directed Photography and Situated Media at the University of Technology Sydney and co-founded the Fiction, Feeling, Frame collective.
Research interests include nuclear historiography, Indigenous land rights, and transdisciplinary curricula. His work combines archival research with artistic interventions, exploring colonial legacies through media and architecture. Key publications include *Nuclear Colonialism in Maralinga* (2023) and *Roads to Maralinga* (2021). He has curated numerous exhibitions and delivered lectures globally on topics like nuclear landscapes and curatorial practice.
Burns collaborates with institutions such as the Venice Biennale and Magnum Photos. His current project *Infrastructure of Memory* investigates military colonialism’s cultural heritage. He advises three PhD students and has organized international symposia on media and spatial politics.
