Photography Collection: Building the Brutal

Inside the 1980s collection of Barbican photography

By Barbican Centre

View of city of London including Barbican residential towers (1979/1979) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Nears Completion

In the 1970s, photographer Peter Bloomfield started documenting the decades-long construction of the Barbican as the build drew to a close.

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-20/1979-11-20) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

His images begin from the later stages of the construction process and they run right up to the building’s opening by Queen Elizabeth II in March 1982.

Angus Watson (1979-12-26/1979-12-26) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Bloomfield’s point of contact at the Barbican was the Centre’s press officer, Angus Watson.

The Barbican Centre (1980-01-19/1980-01-19) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

‘It’s nearly finished, you’ll go round, you’ll find dirt and dust and mess’, he told Bloomfield.

The Barbican Centre (1979-12-05/1979-12-05) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

‘But we don’t want to see that. What we want to see is as much of the Barbican as it’s going to be in a couple of years’ time as possible. Do you think you can do that?’

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-08/1979-11-08) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

So some of Bloomfield’s images are slightly staged: he moved scaffolding, builders’ rubble and rogue fire extinguishers before he took them.

The Barbican Centre (1980-02-24/1980-02-24) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-26/1979-11-26) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-10/1979-11-10) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-15/1979-11-15) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1979-11-11/1979-11-11) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1980-03-13/1980-03-13) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Bloomfield later returned to document the Barbican's opening celebrations in March 1982.

The Barbican Centre (1980-02-13/1980-02-13) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

The Barbican Centre (1980-03-05/1980-03-05) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Barbican Foyer by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Event at the Barbican (1982) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

View of Barbican Staircase (1982) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Barbican Foyer (1982) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre

Behind the lens

Learn more about Peter Bloomfield's photographs here

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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