About Architecture: 'Not Trying to be Clever or Anything', Hugh Pearman

Hugh Pearman MBE:

Hugh is an architecture journalist, critic and author, and Chair of the Twentieth Century Society. His latest book, ‘About Architecture: An Essential Guide in 55 Buildings’ is published by Yale University Press. He worked for three decades as architecture and design critic of The Sunday Times, edited the award-winning Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and has written extensively for other media. He was one of the founders of the Stirling Prize for Architecture, and the originator of the more recent MacEwen Award celebrating ‘Architecture for the Common Good’. Pearman was awarded the MBE in 2019 for services to architecture. He is not an architect.

The Talk:

The title of his talk, ‘Not Trying to be Clever or Anything’, is heartfelt. Pearman has always believed in presenting architecture – which can seem a bafflingly mysterious subject to anyone not involved in it – as clearly and as entertainingly as possible, whether for the general public or a professional audience. Hence the new book, with its no-nonsense title. In this talk he will explain how he found himself committed to present architecture from across the world and all of history in just 11 building types and 55 case studies. How exactly do you do that and can you have fun along the way? The oldest building in the book dates from 3,000 years BC and the newest was completed last year. Some of his choices may surprise you. Some are not buildings at all.

Moving on to the present day, he will explain the work of the Twentieth Century Society. The Society campaigns to save and protect the best buildings and public art from 1914 to the present day, so it is also the C21 Society! Wakefield has some of the best civic buildings in the country, Grade I listed. What will be the listed buildings of the future? Could they include the Hepworth and the latest parts of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park? Such future-gazing is part of the job, and this means identifying and fighting for some buildings which (unlike those) may right now be deeply unfashionable, even hated - but which will come into their own if given the chance.

The event:

This talk will be presented in the Mulberry Playhouse at CAPA College, Mulberry Way, WF1 2QN, starting promptly at 7.30pm. (Doors open at 6.45pm when the Green Room Cafe will be open.)

The event is free to attend and is open to all who are interested in the subject matter.

This talk is being presented as part of Wakefield's Our Year 2024 and is one of a number of aspirational series of talks and events around Wakefield district organised as part of a year-long programme of culture.