From the Caribbean to Coventry, plotting the rise of 2 Tone was an exhibition at the Barbican Music Library that ran from January 12th until July 1st 2024.
Hosted in the Barbican Centre, a British architectural Brutalist epicentre, new imagery was made in Coventry aiming to reflect notes of the city's architecture.
The imagery exhibited at the Barbican were abstracted, a tailored selection including The Ramada Hotel Car Park (the location for a rooftop photoshoot with the Coventry Automatics aka the Specials), a Ghost Town of abandoned housing in eye shot of the Car Park rooftop and the iconic Brutalist Elephant Building (built in 1974) in the City centre.
"Andrew Ogilvy and his amazingly creative photography stood out, juxtaposing Coventry’s and the Barbican’s Brutalist architecture."
Pete Chambers BEM, COVENTRY Music Museum curator
In this gallery is a broader range of imagery from my day in Coventry. Brutalism and concrete to me looks incredible even on the greyest of days. However I waited for a day that would yield intense sun as this would give the option of contrast, strong light and hard shadow as I knew it would present me option have a more dynamic 2 Tone scale and bring out structure and repeats.
To see more Brutalist and cement structure imagery this link will take you directly to the site's Brutalism gallery.
(Any imagery on this website is not to be shared or used without prior written agreement.)