While Jon and others try to save the library, the rest of us should record it.
central library by Matt Murtagh
Normally when writers use the word “controversial” it doesn’t mean anything of the sort, but Birmingham’s Central Library has always been a bit controversial. It’s a fine example of Brutalist architecture but was never really finished properly which actually unites those in favour and against it – something should be done.
Today the anti-gang won a victory as the government granted the building immunity from listing, which is a strange use of the term “immunity” – it’s like saying it’s been granted immunity from immunity, which clears the way for it to be cleared away within the next five years. With the new library due to open in 2013 that gives up at least four.
folds by BB B
The issue is complicated by the anti-gang being lead by the current council leadership who have been rather blunt about their hatred of the building (The Birmingham Council news room is somewhat partisan today: “Good news for Birmingham” indeed) which means the pro-gang are going up against the corridors of power in this. But there is a significant number of people wanting to see the building saved so Jon Bounds is seeding a campaign, currently looking into forming a single-issue party to stand against council leader Mike Whitby in the elections next year.
Whatever your opinion of the building it looks very likely that it won’t be around for much longer. It got me thinking that while the old Bull Ring didn’t have quite the emotional resonance or architectural importance of the library it was still part of Birmingham’s history. And yet there are very few photos of the Bull Ring around, probably because it was demolished before the era of digital photography and online sharing took off. With the library there’s already a fair wodge of community-made media out there (the photos in this post were taken from a quick survey of Flickr – there’s more in this gallery) but there’s room for more.
Inside the Central Library by kate&drew
So I’m proposing a project to complement Jon’s campaign. We need to collect as many photographs of the library as we can, both from the past and over the next few years and not just of the outside. Like the Bull Ring the authorities understandably aren’t interested in the old so it’s up to us to record it.
Here’s a Flickr group which I just threw together. Throw any photos you already have in there and if you’d like to be an admin let me know. But more importantly start using it to organise more projects (like, for example, Matt’s Wings of Brum series).
Get to it, people.
Birmingham Central Library by hartlandmartin
While I’m firmly in the anti-gang, I agree entirely with your suggestion that we need a full and proper photographic record of the place.
One of my issues is the contruction of Paradise Forum (of all the misnomers possible!) has lost us some of the more interesting views of the building from inside the atrium, and I hope that there are surviving pictures of things as they were even before Paradise Forum MkI (which wasn’t quite as bad as the current Mk II)
For the record, I am of those in the angi-gang who might be better inclined towards it if it had been completed; I’m not a fan of brutalist architecture at the best of times but the building could at least have been “interesting” – the way things stand now, it simply makes no sense. (And I’ve never been a huge fan of any of the versions of its layout as a library, and I have used it a LOT over the years and continue to use it at least once a week!)
All power to the flickr group, I must remember to take my camera on my next visit!
I’ve always loved the Library for photography, it’s such a unique contradictory building, odd and eerie, ugly and beautiful at the same time.
wonder who I have to talk to get access to some of the lesser known bits inside…