During the post-war years the North of England saw the building of some of the most aspirational, enlightened and successful modernist architecture in the world. The photographer Simon Phipps, whose photographic exploration Brutal North: Post-War Modernist Architecture in the North of England has recently been published, is joined in this discussion by Catherine Croft, Dr Christina Malathouni and Matthew Steele. Taking as their starting point his striking black and white photographs of Brutalist buildings, they will assess their qualities and examine the particular challenges these often astonishing buildings now face. The event coincides with efforts by the Society to increase the number of listings in this category, since even though public attitudes may now be changing in their favour, many are still threatened by destruction or neglect.
Simon Phipps is an award-winning photographer who has published and exhibited extensively in the UK and Europe on Brutalism. In addition to Brutal North (now in its second printing) he has published Concrete Poetry: Post-War Modernist Public Art (2018), Finding Brutalism: A Photographic Survey of Post-War British Architecture (2017) and Brutal London (2016).
Dr Christina Malathouni is an architect and architectural historian with extensive experience in 20th-century architectural heritage. As member of the “Save Preston Bus Station” campaign, she wrote the third (successful) listing application for the building. She is currently Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Architecture.
Matthew Steele is an architectural historian and lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture. He co-authored Sacred Suburbs (The Modernist, 2015), and has recently contributed to Manchester: Something Rich and Strange (University of Manchester Press, 2020). He provided the detailed building descriptions for Brutal North.
Catherine Croft is Director of the Twentieth Century Society.
Twentieth Century Society Members: £3, non-members £5
Brutal North: Post-War Modernist Architecture in the North of England is published by September Publishing. It is available price £16.99 (+£2.10 postage) from the Modernist Society who are supporting this event.
Organised by C20 Society Northwest, in association with the Twentieth Century Society and the support of the Modernist Society.