Appreciating Brutalism one event at a time

A new cultural program launching in Melbourne next month sets out to celebrate one of architecture’s most derided and misunderstood movements.

Running May 6 – 29, Brutalist Block Party is a series of workshops, talks, dining events and social situations held at 122 Roseneath Street – a vast, concrete-fronted warehouse in Clifton Hill.

An initiative of Assemble Papers, the event is presented with Open House Melbourne as part of their ‘What’s the beef with Brutalism?’ program.

A celebration of the under-celebrated, Brutalist Block Party is a tribute to the unique style of architecture that found prominence in the 1950s through to the mid-1970s.

Inspired by early 20th century modernism and influenced by post-war sensibilities, the style’s use of raw concrete (béton brut) and solid, highly expressive forms was said to be “architecture in the raw”.

Paying homage to the Clifton Hill site’s Brutalist heritage and to post-war architecture everywhere, Brutalist Block Party is a convivial nod to the community spirit at the heart of this architectural approach.

“With Brutalist Block Party we beckon a new appreciation of Brutalism,” says Rachel Elliot-Jones, creative producer of Assemble Papers and Brutalist Block Party.

“It is a program designed to engage and inspire the wider community – not just those with a penchant for post-war architecture.”

The program unfurls amidst a specially commissioned spatial installation by Practise Studio Practise, dubbed Brutalist Bollards and Pillars of Contention. Each night, The Brutalist Bar ensures the Brutalist banter continues before, during and after each event.

Full program details can be found here.