Gareth Proskourine-Barnett
Conc(re)te
The idea of our virtual and physical worlds being separate entities is becoming indistinct and the question of which space is more real increasingly blurred. We are reassuringly told that the future of archeology lies in 3D scanning and printing technologies, but what would happen if we were to use these technologies to examine the ruins of our recent history. Could we – for example – reconstruct brutalist architecture?
Conc(re)te is an open-access web resource for architects, designers, concrete enthusiasts and brutalist utopians. This digital archive is constructed from 3D scans of concrete debris from the, now demolished, Birmingham Central Library (an iconic example of brutalist architecture). Fragments of the concrete building will be made available as mutant copies to download, reuse and repurpose, creating the opportunity to rethink our relationship to the materials of our constructed world(s) and the narratives imbedded within them.
Website/digital archive and 3D printed concrete replica
Variable dimensions
For me to reform is to... Re-imagine, re-animate and re-claim concrete; opening up a channel of communication with the ghost of brutalism.
Gareth Proskourine-Barnett (UK) is an artist and educator, currently working towards a PhD at the Royal Collage of Art in the department of Critical and Historical Studies alongside lecturing in Art and Design at Birmingham City University. His multidisciplinary practice investigates our relationship to place, using new technologies to document landscapes that are being lost or forgotten. Since graduating with an MA in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins in 2011 Gareth has exhibited his work at museums and galleries across the UK and Europe as well as in Russia, Thailand, India and the USA.
