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Harbin Institute of Technology School of Architecture, China
In 1942, writing in The Architectural Review, whilst acknowledging the importance of the drain specialist, Modern Movement architect Ernö Goldfinger proposed a role for the artist amongst specialists in non-art matters. James Lander was one of the artists who lived at Goldfinger’s Balfron Tower in London at a defining moment in its history (built 1965-1967 and restored 2014-2023). The last opportunity to do so in its original form as social housing. Despite having been restored, ostensibly Balfron Tower stands empty. In response, and in line with Goldfinger’s proposal, James Lander demonstrates a role for the artist amongst specialists in non-art matters. He combines the lived experience of the artist in social housing with archiving practice, to make the inaccessible available to a non-specialist readership: an unofficial archive for Balfron Tower as an alternative to the polarised debates that characterise social housing discourse. Instead of allowing Balfron Tower to be consigned by its nickname the Marmite building (either you love it or hate it), sharing new knowledge on account of Balfron Tower’s outgoing community, makes a vital contribution to interdisciplinary discourse.
Thursday, August 1, 2024
10:45 – 11:15 (GMT+7)