My fascination with Brutalist architecture began nearly 10 years ago. We had just moved to London at the time, and I had just landed a low paying job in a startup, and using public transport to get to my office in East London was not an option.
Used to a rather cushy commute of an air conditioned car and driver in Mumbai, the reality of life in London was an eye opener in many many ways. Encouraged by my husband I reluctantly picked up a cycle, downloaded citymapper and there was no looking back. I took a different route daily from Cally Road to Whitechapel, and encountered a plethora of varied and interesting architecture, street art, markets and mysterious lanes. Lunch breaks spent wandering around brick lane photographing graffiti.
Wasting the days in a rather dull way making promo pos I was keen on doing something creative to prevent brain rot, was when I thought of illustrating my journey through London rather than taking photos.
The so called 'ugly' concrete buildings in London reminded me of apartments in Mumbai. I don't think anyone labeled them 'Brutalist' or 'Modernist' as a way of acknowledging their architectural style or quality - they were just flats- one floor over the other, tiny windows and non existent balconies, crumbling concrete, fading exteriors. Absolutely no thought put in whatsoever except perhaps how to fit in maximum capacity in the tiniest of spaces. They were truly ugly in every sense.
My first encounter with the Barbican left me confused- a concrete cluster of buildings but yet fascinating. The sense of space, and a feeling of a mini world enclosed within. The conservatory was something I would have never imagined to exist in such a location.
I often wondered what it would feel like peering out of one of those quirky inverted arch windows on snowy night.
We moved to Brixton in 2019, our first taste of South London and it was delicious. Brutalist architecture at the heart of Brixton. Brixton Rec that hits you just as you exit the overground, the iconography on the facade designed to make an impression. And just across we are confronted with the great Barrier Block, a mammoth of a building with the tiniest windows and a distinct chilling dystopian feel, on a street aptly named 'Coldharbour Lane'
One of my first assignments on a short typography course at Central Saint Martins was to match a font with a building or architecture in London. This was so interesting as I picked up my camera and took a walk along Southbank. Back to back there was Tate, the National Theatre and Hayward Gallery. I stood there with a large cutout of an 'A' of Akzidenz-Grotesk. Matching the bold letter to the shapes and lines on these buildings.
I don't know why the demolition of this car park made me sad. It was just so beautiful. Yes, maybe it was impractical, occupying a prime location near Oxford Street, but I wonder if the facade could have been preserved in some way. Bookmarking this as a lost diamond.
Elephant & Castle. Another pitstop on my commute from Central London to Brixton. Metro Central Heights is one of those complexes that was so confusing to me. Chunks of 'window apartments' - I couldn't figure where it began, where it ended. Your first impression of true South London as you cross the river. Crowd, chaos, colour. An old shopping centre with the cute elephant statue, that always looks extremely busy.
Ok, this was more than a decade ago, things have changed a bit now with modern new builds, and a bunch of independent shops. The tired shopping centre has been retired, the elephant been given a mini makeover and a fresh coat of paint sits on a shiny pedestal :0
Our next stop is Stockwell. The bus garage. Who would have thought? Isn't it spectacular? Sometimes I illustrate the most random of places, knowing fully well only a handful of people might appreciate or even buy the print. One of those idiots not jumping on the cutesy kitchen print trend filling the shelves of the Oliver Bonases. Just happy doing more garages and car parks and injecting my love for colour into them.
And lastly, ofcourse,- the great Trellick Tower. So west london doesn't feel too excluded :-) Just kidding, the Trellick and Balfron pair were the first brutalist buildings I ever illustrated. I wasn't even selling them at the time, till I shared it with a random stranger at a print shop in Soho. He said 'Goldfinger! these are lovely - I would absolutely buy them'. It's when I gathered there is something about Brutalist architecture that not everybody, but some people absolutely appreciate and love!
So that's my mini tour of Brutalist buildings I love. Not a random assortment, coming to think of it- all of them have a personal connection or memory of my time in London. Bookmark these for yourself or your brutalist nerd buddy!
