Post-War Britain

The Architecture Programme of the Royal Academy in London presents an exhibition on post-war British architecture and its contexts, meanings and legacies today.

Royal Academy of Arts, "Futures Found", London. Photo John Maltby, courtesy Riba Collections
In Spring 2017 the Royal Academy Architecture Programme will present “Futures Found: The Real and Imagined Cityscapes of Post-War Britain”, a season exploring post-war British architecture and its contexts, meanings and legacies today, exploring the contrasts between the ambitions for Britain’s new post-war cityscapes and the varied futures that were created.

 

The Britain that emerged from the Second World War was a nation shattered, yet also profoundly optimistic. The election of Clement Attlee’s Labour government in 1945 introduced a period of relative political and economic consensus to bring about a more prosperous future for all, which included the establishment of the National Health Service and the Welfare State.

Trinity Square, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, the car park. Courtesy RIBA Collections
Trinity Square, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, the car park. Courtesy RIBA Collections
The new architecture created during the period was the most visible manifestation of this transformation, with the designs of new schools, hospitals and houses reflecting the spirit of the age and a belief in progress. When this imagined future began to unravel in the 1970s in relation to changing political, social and economic conditions, post-war cityscapes and architecture came under attack. The critique of these buildings focused on the apparent disparity between the utopian aspirations of the architecture and what played out in reality.
Brandon Estate, Southwark, London, maisonettes on the west side of Lorrimore Square. Courtesy Architectural Press Archive, RIBA Collections
Brandon Estate, Southwark, London, maisonettes on the west side of Lorrimore Square. Courtesy Architectural Press Archive, RIBA Collections
Through six case studies, proposed by guest curators, ranging from housing estates to universities and to carparks, the “Futures Found” display will explore the parallel and often contrasting narratives that have developed around these post-war projects since their creation. Alongside architectural material, the display includes references drawn from film, music, literature and art, as well as the lived experiences of occupants and social activism. Together they will challenge the perceived sense of failure of these projects and instead will show a much wider and more nuanced view of what this architecture created and inspired. Guest curators are Victor Buchli, Owen Hopkins, Helen Ikla, Tom Wilkinson, Jules Lubbock and Penny Lewis.
Photo from the Hulme Punx Picnic in 1991. Photo Charlie Baker
Photo from the Hulme Punx Picnic in 1991. Photo Charlie Baker

until 29 May 2017
Futures Found
The Real and Imagined Cityscapes of Post-War Britain
Architecture Space
The Royal Academy
Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London

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