twenty twenty four
from telephone exchanges to classic cars, and from bury to milan - its been a busy year
As we reflect on the past year, it's clear that it has been a busy old twelve months. We mooched around Bury and Burnley, attended book fairs in Marylebone and Milan, and published some big new books. Our new app has broadened our digital horizons, while our exhibition and talks programmes continued to satisfy our analogue audience.
So, here we go .. lets take a look back at twenty twenty four.
Our first exhibition of the year was a thrill for all the telecom nerds amongst us with a visual snapshot of Lisa Kinch’s ongoing research exploring the architectural history of Post-War telephone exchange buildings.
In March, we reprised our Illuminate exhibition and Modernist HQ, originally curated by the Leeds Modernist Society in 2023. The resulting photography exhibition later toured to GS Artists in Swansea.
The latest of our many collaborations with Professor Richard Brook included a day symposium 'Locus lancaster' in March, which included photo walk and pop up exhibition - investigating the modernist legacy the Lancaster University Campus.
March brought in the Mooching season. Steve Marland and his intrepid moochers started off with a stroll in Stockport and and ended with a wander around UMIST in November, taking in Ardwick, Stoke, Sheffield, Halifax, Bradford, Leicester, Huddersfield, Doncaster, Newcastle, Shrewsbury, Leeds, Salford, Burnley, Blackpool, Wytheshawe, Bury and some Manchester Car Parks along the way.
Summer also brought a series of architect-led tours inspired by our book GMC21. We invited architects from Manchester practices to showcase recent projects that are currently reshaping the city's skyline. A big thank you to Stephenson Hamilton Risley STUDIO, OMI Architects, and SimpsonHaugh for enthusiatically showing off their buildings. There'll be more of this in '25.
May brought three important milestones - five years at our shop and Modernist HQ, fifteen years of the Modernist Society and the fiftieth issue of the modernist magazine. We celebrated with many friends and collaborators at New Century Hall, as well as introducing a refreshed design for the mag itself.
In June, we explored London through two walking tours, as part of our Modernist Book Fair and the London Festival of Architecture. Stefano Sama from UHM!publications and Helen Barrett from London Modern guided us through the streets of Marylebone and the West End.
The exhibition programme at Modernist HQ continued with "CTRL-ALT-DEL" where photographer Darren Holden delved into the eerie beauty of abandoned office spaces and obsolete technology. Saint Etienne liked it so much, they featured one of Darren's photos on their album cover.
In July we hosted Emma Coope with Hulme Habitats, her investigations of the green spaces of Hulme with her combination of photography and graphite drawings.
A collaboration with the University of Salford resulted in our next publication 'Invisible Cities: Salford before, during and after redevelopment 1952-1974'. The book (and exhibition) is the culmination of The Modern Backdrop, a two-year research project at the University of Salford. We were kindly asked to publish the book to accompany the exhibition and we think its a lovely thing.
In July our biggest book yet was published. 'A Time ⋅ A Place' - in which every 'Car of the Year' (1964-1982) is paired with a building completed in the same year - photographed by acclaimed architectural photographer Daniel Hopkinson, researched and written by architect John Piercy Holroyd.
After more than a year in development, we were excited to launch our Modernist App in September. This free mobile tour guide uses geolocation to navigate you through the city. We’ve started with Manchester and Salford, with more tours and towns to follow in 2025. The app wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of the GMCA and Fablr, so a big thanks to them.
Another transport inspired book followed in the form of 'Arrows of desire' in whch Nick Job charts the highs and lows of the British Rail symbol over the course of its colourful life, seeking to discover exactly what it is about the enigmatic ‘double arrow’ that appears to have guaranteed its prime position in the pantheon of all-time classic logos.
More logos along with some classic graphic design were featured in our final pubication of the year. 'Modernist Graphic Design in Britain 1945-1980' by Ian McLaren and Tony Pritchard. We were delighted to be able to launch the book at the internationally renowned Pentagram graphic design studio in London in October.
The final exhibition of the year 'Graphic Design Behind the Iron Curtain' brought together a selection of posters sourced in Germany, originally the property of the DDR’s main distributor, Progress Film.
The modernist magazine remained the cornerstone of our publishing efforts. Special thanks to Trevor and Craig Johnson, and Lili Platt, who continue to work their design magic. We also extend our gratitude to all the writers and photographers who freely contribute their work for your entertainment and delight.
Throughout the year our busy volunteers at chapters in Birmingham, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Swansea continued to provide us with information and insights about their fabulous cities via social media - you can find them on Instagram @birminghammodernist, @leedsmodernist, @liverpoolmodernist, @manchestermodernist, @sheffieldmodernist, @swanseamodernist, @huddersfieldmodernist and @glasgowmodernist So MASSIVE thanks to them.
Highlights included the the Birmingham Modernist's ongoing campaign to Save Smallbrook, Shefield Modernist's highlighting of St.Pauls church by Basil Spence and Liverpool Modernist's participation in the Liverpool Architecture Festival.
We are looking forward to seeing more from the modernist chapters in 2024 and have some exciting Glasgow news, coming soon.
A special thank you goes out to our subscribers, members, and donors. During times when we have no grant income, it is your support that keeps us going. We also extend our gratitude to everyone who has contributed, exhibited, designed, supported, funded, visited, and been a part of the modernist society in 2024. We wish you all the best and hope to see you in 2025.
Happy New Year!
