Every month architects and industry insiders share their recommendations for the best exhibitions and events to visit in Brighton and Hove. Views expressed on this page are those of the author, and may not reflect those of the editors of the Architecture Diaries.
THIS MONTH:
Chris Holt
Chris is the founder of EN Architects, a design led, contemporary and quality driven architectural studio in Hove, East Sussex.
Inspired by the wealth of architectural events promoted by The Architecture Diaries in other cities, Chris was motivated to create The Brighton Architecture Diary with help from NLA – London’s built environment community.
His aspiration for The Brighton Architecture Diary is for it to become the go to platform for showcasing architecture and design related events in Brighton and Sussex.
The spirit of The Brighton Architecture Diary is collaborative and an opportunity to show the abundance and diversity of the local cultural scene.
Welcome to month 2 of the The Brighton Architecture Diary, thanks for joining us.
You won’t need me to tell you that in and around Brighton, May means festivals; big, bouncy, cultural ones. There is an explosion of events going on this month through the Artist Open Houses, Charleston, Fringe and Brighton Festivals and so much to be getting involved in that you could be forgiven for letting the non-festival events pass you by. Fear not, as we have hand selected some of the best mix of events to fill your diary.
It’s always a treat walking along the rejuvenated West Pier Arches, and good to see the positive impact around the old pier and i360 redevelopment. So we shouldn’t need any encouragement to visit The West Pier Trust and hear about the extraordinary life and times of Thomas Kemp (of Kemptown). The man who’s name we spoke so often but know so little about. Well, here’s your chance to remedy that.
There is so much going on at the Charleston Festival, in such a beautiful location that I will only do it an injustice to spell it out for you here, so go ahead and find something wonderful.
Whilst over at The Hilton Metropole, The Chartered Institute of Housing conference is back to discuss all things housing and give industry pro’s the chance to swat up and meet up to discuss all the key issues affecting the sector right now and in the future.
Our favourite Regency Town House is hosting an exhibition; Shoaling by Portslade collective Red Herring Studios as well as their regular tours of the townhouse itself so plenty of reasons to check out their rich and evocative interiors.
From the abundance of shows & tours going on at the Brighton Fringe we’ve selected a couple of contrasting events to get you and the family thinking about space and architecture. Tickets for the after-hours tour of the beautiful Victorian aquarium are selling fast so get in there quickly to snap up the last of them, whilst the free Cardboard City is a month-long interactive installation encouraging children of all ages (accompanied by parents – so no chance of free childcare I’m afraid) to turn boxes in to a personalised carboard city.
When we live, work and play in a city we can sometimes become immune to its nuance, beauty and architecture, so it will be exciting to see how Brighton Festival’s 100 miles of string will challenge us to reengage with a familiar space and also to use that apparently strict layout to create brand new spaces and structures of our own which is of course what architects do every day.
If the hustle & bustle of the festivals is too much, take a mooch out into the country to lap up the Moncrieff-Bray summer exhibition near Petworth. Beautiful, landscaped gardens and a converted barn serve as the backdrop to an abundance of art, sculpture and nature itself.
Lastly, throughout the summer there will be tours and tea at High Salvington Windmill once a month. A chance to hear how the mill used to operate and much more
