Edward Wright and the lettering of New Brutalism

Words on Buildings: Lettering and the Environment in the Twentieth Century
Thursday 24th November at 6.30pm
The Gallery, 70, Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ

Members £8.00 Non Members £10.00 Students £5.00 (glass of wine included)

The autumn 2016 lecture series celebrates the centenary of Edward Johnston’s Underground type with six speakers who look at the ideas behind changing styles of architectural lettering, and how the use of lettering is a key aspect of design that is often overlooked.

'Decoration and yet not decoration’: Edward Wright and the lettering of New Brutalism

Dr Ann Pillar, University of Reading, with introduction by Prof. Joseph Rykwert

Born in Liverpool in 1912, Edward Wright was the son of Consul of Ecuador. His early life was divided between Britain, Spain, France, and South America. Teaching at the Central School in the early 1950s, Wright became close to Theo Crosby and Eduardo Paolozzi, and influenced students including Alan Fletcher and Ken Garland. His architectural work included foundation inscriptions in cast-concrete and bronze at Churchill College and the now-demolished Imperial College Halls of Residence, South Kensington. His later work included designs for the New Scotland Yard revolving sign and fascia lettering at Tate Liverpool.

Ann Pillar first encountered Edward Wright as a fine art student and in 2013 she completed a doctoral thesis on him. She teaches at Department of Typography and Graphic Communication, University of Reading. Joseph Rykwert was a friend of Edward Wright.

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