--- title: Architect Defends 149 Page 52438 Word Dissertation Without Punctuation description: A University of British Columbia Phd candidate and architect successfully defended a 149-page 5,2438-word dissertation without punctuation canonical: https://time.com/3852886/ubc-architecture-phd-dissertation-no-punctuation/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-09T18:48:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:34.552Z og:title: Why an Architect Wrote a 52,438-Word Dissertation With No Punctuation og:description: Examiners at the University of British Columbia accepted it unanimously og:url: https://time.com/3852886/ubc-architecture-phd-dissertation-no-punctuation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why an Architect Wrote a 52,438-Word Dissertation With No Punctuation twitter:description: Examiners at the University of British Columbia accepted it unanimously twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Why an Architect Wrote a 52,438-Word Dissertation With No Punctuation > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fc86f750-c252-43df-90ee-4fc410c139c1&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: High Art's High Price: Museums Can't Afford It [Watch (HLS stream): High Art's High Price: Museums Can't Afford It](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BR0tUoUi.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2013-11-15. The ultra-wealthy are snatching up prized works of art by 20th century masters. Many of these pieces, however, won't be seen again by the general public._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 9, 2015 6:48 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 9, 2015 6:48 PM UTC An architect pursuing a doctorate at the University of British Columbia [wrote his 149-page, 52,438-word dissertation without any periods or commas](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ubc-student-writes-52438-word-architecture-dissertation-with-no-punctuation-not-everyone-loved-it). Patrick Stewart, 61, who belongs to the Nisga’a, a group of indigenous people in British Columbia, told Canada’s [_National Post_](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ubc-student-writes-52438-word-architecture-dissertation-with-no-punctuation-not-everyone-loved-it)that his dissertation, entitled “Indigenous Architecture through Indigenous Knowledge,” was designed to raise awareness about “the blind acceptance of English language conventions in academia” and to make a statement about “aboriginal culture, colonialism.” And he claimed there is “nothing in the (UBC dissertation) rules about formats or punctuation.” When he defended his punctuation-free dissertation, the examiners accepted it unanimously. Read an excerpt from the giant run-on sentence on the [_National Post_‘s website](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ubc-student-writes-52438-word-architecture-dissertation-with-no-punctuation-not-everyone-loved-it). ### See Life Inside Facebook's Headquarters  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME  Martin Schoeller For TIME ## Transcript There it is, showing on the left, on your right, ladies and gentlemen, the magnificent Triptych. $ 80 million, $ 80 million. November 12th was Christie's annual fall sale of contemporary and modern art. It turned out to be a record- breaker overall, and it also set a world auction record for a single work of art. Any time someone pays $ 142. 4 million for a few square feet of canvas and paint, it's, it, it attracts attention. Most of these paintings will now disappear into private collections. They may occasionally be lent to public institutions, but more likely we, we won't see them again for many years. [ MUSIC ] You see, painting has now become, or all art has now become, completely a game by which man distracts himself. Bacon, when he died in 1992, his reputation as one of the great artists of the 20th century was already secure. And this a Bacon from 1969. It's from a period when he was at the height of his powers. It's a good painting. It doesn't make sense that it's $ 142. 4 million. That speaks more to the conditions of the market. One night after the Christie's auction, on November 13th, Sotheby's had its annual fall contemporary and modern art sale, and the Warhol painting called Silver Car Crash ( Double Disaster ) sold for 104. 5 million. There are Warhols and there are Warhols. From 61 to say, 71, you know, that's the stuff. And there isn't that much of it left in private hands that can still circulate through the market. [ MUSIC ] You can certainly talk about the public benefit of making these things available to the public. Museums, in a market as crazy as this one, have for years already been completely cut out of the possibility of buying modern and contemporary art. They can depend on gifts. And they often get them. But, as far as buying goes, it's just not something they can do any longer. I think most people reading about auction prices think, the way they often feel when they read about the prices being paid for professional football players and professional baseball players. Wow, could this possibly be worth that? Couldn't there be a better way to spend this money? One reason why so much valuable work came to market this fall, is that some big collectors may be concluding that this is the best time to cash in. We won't know until the big sales of next year. They will continue buying and selling until it proves to be a bubble, and if so, it will pop. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3852886/ubc-architecture-phd-dissertation-no-punctuation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3852886/ubc-architecture-phd-dissertation-no-punctuation/"},"headline":"Why an Architect Wrote a 52,438-Word Dissertation With No Punctuation","datePublished":"2015-05-09T18:48:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:34.552Z","description":"Examiners at the University of British Columbia accepted it unanimously","url":"https://time.com/3852886/ubc-architecture-phd-dissertation-no-punctuation/","keywords":["Newsfeed","society"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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