Barbican

At the Barbican, I began with doing rubbings of all the different textures, as I enjoyed the brutalist architecture, and the excessive use of textured concrete. I wanted to capture this on paper.

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I also began to think about what was planned and what was “natural”. Even the natural elements at the Barbican seem to be pre-planned. Every pathway is carved out; the barbican is like a maze that corrals people and diverts them in new and interesting ways.

One thing that stood out to me is the yellow lines throughout the barbican. To be honest, they just seemed unnecessary and a bit humorous. The architecture is confusing and I don’t know why the architects decided that the direction in which we walk needed clarity.

The final thing I noticed were the tombstones outside the church. I was sketching a man sunbathing on them, and I did not realize what they were. It seemed odd to me to have these large slabs of concrete as a sitting space, when there were benches nearby, so I investigated further. It was at that time when I realized that they were tombstones. It was a fun activity to recap and put together a family history. It felt like solving a mystery or getting a window into somebody else’s life.

I liked the idea that a man was unknowingly sunbathing on a tombstone. It seemed to fit into the contrasting elements of the barbican.

• Nature/Structure
• Old/New
• Restricted Paths/Wandering