John Grindrod – Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain

Description

We’re very happy to be welcoming John Grindrod back to Sheffield, with a special Q&A with Eddy Read of the Modernist Society, in celebration of his fascinating new book, Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain. Sheffield’s relatively small features – here today, gone tomorrow Centre for Popular Music and the drawn-out renovation of Park Hill – might reflect the city’s red wall, but the rest of the book offers lessons about what may be just around the corner – for better or worse – in South Yorkshire.

About Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain:

Wimpey homes. Millennium monuments. Riverside flats. Wind farms. Spectacular skyscrapers. City centre apartments. Out of town malls.

The buildings designed in our lifetimes encapsulate the dreams and aspirations of our culture, while also revealing the sobering realities. Whether modest or monumental, they offer a living history of Britain, a reminder of the forces that have shaped our modern landscape.

Iconicon is an enthralling journey around the Britain we have created since 1980: the horrors and delights, the triumphs and failures. From space-age tower blocks to suburban business parks, and from postmodernist exuberance to Passivhaus eco-efficiency, this is at once a revelatory architectural grand tour and an endlessly witty and engaging piece of social history.

John Grindrod is the author of Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain (Old Street, 2013) and Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt (Sceptre, 2017), which was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize.

We are planning for this event to take place in the Kommune Events Room with an in-person audience, as well as a live stream for attendees watching from home. On the night of the event, our team will be wearing masks and we encourage you to do the same, unless you are exempt. This will keep things as safe as possible for authors, audience members and our booksellers.

In-person Audience: you can purchase a signed – and if requested, dedicated – copy of Iconicon OR a £5 Voucher.

Livestream: you can purchase a signed – and if requested, dedicated – copy of Iconicon, OR a £3 Voucher.

Copies will be available on the night and John will be available to sign your copy too.

Please note that vouchers can be used on any item in the bookshop and on our website. Please consider supporting the bookshop by purchasing a book or voucher.