Brutalist Paris – Book

In 2020 Blue Crow Media commissioned Photolanguage to research Blue Crow’s first book, Brutalist Paris, building on research conducted for the Brutalist Map of Paris (2017). After a successful Kickstarter, crowdfunding campaign, the book went to print in Autumn 2022 and full distribution in March 2023. This is the first thoroughly researched, English language study of Parisian brutalist architecture. It constructs a unique photographic record of over 50 buildings across Paris (1955-1987). Across 7 thematic essays it brings a new interpretation of brutalism in the French context, including its appearance in film, tv and travel writing, and develops detailed readings of key buildings from the period, addressing issues of building re-use and conservation. It describes brutalism’s successes and failures in Paris, from an architecture of monumental urban form to intricately crafted living spaces; from valued, historic monuments to abandoned ruins.