After deciding on brutalist architecture as the theme of my project, I began researching the work of other artists that I could relate to my idea. Firstly, I came across the work of Simon Phipps. Simon Phipps is a “renowned photographer of post-war modernist architecture.” His work photographing brutalist structures lead me to also want to capture this style of architecture in a different light and showcase the hidden beauty of it that most people don’t notice. Phipps’s work had also inspired me to present my images in black and white. I made this decision as I really admired the way Phipps’s photographs looked and thought that being in black and white really highlighted the beauty in the architectural design of the buildings.
I also found inspiration from the works of Helene Binet. Helene Binet is an architectural photographer who’s work I discovered when researching brutalism in photography. I was impressed with the sense of monumentality and scale Binet portrayed within her photographs and this is something I wanted to recreate with mine. Her work is also further reason why I chose to also present my portfolio in black and white.
Another artist whose work I have been researching is Donald Judd. Donald Judd was an American artist who incorporated minimalism into a lot of his work. “15 untitled works in concrete” is a collection of large concrete cubes and rectangles in the Texan desert. This piece of artwork has also helped to give me inspiration for my project. I was particularly interested in the way that the shadows form on these structures, replicating the angles that define brutal architecture. I took this idea into consideration when taking my photographs and made sure to focus on shadows and how I can capture them in a way that compliments the architecture.
Finally, I found myself interested in the works of Jo Underhill and her project ’Beautiful Brutalism’. This is a great example of the idea I wanted to convey with my portfolio, as Underhill and myself both have a great appreciation for brutalist architecture and share the goal of portraying this ‘brutal beauty’ that often goes unnoticed. Underhill’s work is a great example of using photography to portray the characteristics of brutal architecture. In her collection ‘Beautiful Brutalism’, I particularly like her photographs of Churchill College in Cambridge as this is a similar location to Sussex University, one of the locations I visited when creating my portfolio.

Post Office Tower, London, 1961-1964. Architects: Eric Bedford and G. R. Yeats, Ministry of Public Building and Works. Screenprint on aluminium, 500mm x 500mm, Edition: 25, 2012.

Cambridge University’s Churchill College by Richard Sheppard Robson & Partners, 1968. Photography: Jo Underhill

Donald Judd, 15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984. Permanent collection, the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas. Photo by Florian Holzherr. Donald Judd Art © 2020 Judd Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

(2018) Simon Phipps. Available at: https://www.simonphipps.co.uk/ (Accessed: 19 May 2023).

Donald Judd, 15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984. Permanent collection, the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas.