Building the Future: Birmingham’s Architectural Story

Architecture is the evidence of a community’s journey towards identity and status, and this exhibition, focusing on five key buildings, tells the story of Birmingham’s own transformation into the internationally important city it is today. The cathedrals of St Philip and St Chad, the Council House, Town Hall and Law Courts were central buildings in that quest for city status, and, through examining their depiction in prints from books and periodicals, this fascinating display delves into issues such as civic pride, functionality and the architect’s dilemma over the matter of cost versus grandeur. Organized by postgraduate students from the University’s Department of History of Art, it also uncovers the dark side of Birmingham’s obsession with ideas of taste, innovation and, most importantly, modernity.

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