Photographer Christopher Hope-Fitch’s vibrant long-exposure images show Brutalist architecture in a different light

Rewley Road Fire Station

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

Ryland House

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

Milford Towers

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

Museum of London

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

Sampson House

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

Christ Church

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

'The Elephant Building', Coventry

Source: Christopher Hope-Fitch

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The Gareth Gardner Gallery is set to host an exhibition titled Brutalism in Colour by photographer Christopher Hope-Fitch from 7 June to 16 June, 2024.

Hope-Fitch’s long-term project showcases vibrant photographs of brutalist architecture, revealing the hidden textures, geometries, and colours often overlooked in these structures. The exhibition features images from over 100 locations, taken over the past seven years.

The photographs, which might be mistaken for thermal images at first glance, are actually long-exposure night-time digital photographs with bold colour variations derived from different light sources and surfaces, amplified in post-production.

The collection includes iconic and lesser-known brutalist buildings such as the now-demolished Welbeck Street Car Park in London, Coventry’s disused Elephant Building sports centre, and the endangered Museum of London building by Powell & Moya.

This project is inspired by Hope-Fitch’s background as a professional monochrome hand printer and the vivid aesthetics of Italian Giallo film directors Mario Bava and Dario Argento.

The exhibition will also mark the launch of a limited-edition book featuring a selection of images from the Brutalism in Colour series.

The Gareth Gardner Gallery, which opened in October 2019, is dedicated to the photography of architecture and altered landscapes.

>> Also read: Brutalist Paris - ‘A reminder that the Paris of the future has long existed on the other side of the périphérique’

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