citylikeyou — Barbican — London by Johanne Lian Olsen

London / Art / Architecture / Art Centre

Barbican, a residential estate in central London, is known for its brutalist architecture, almost a social experiment on how to live in an estate. I love walking around this area looking at the geometric shapes, the contrasting public spaces and the use of materials. The term brutalist originates from the fresh word for ‘raw’, and concrete is typically used as one of the main materials.The Barbican centre located in the centre is an arts centre and the largest of its kind in Europe, and was opened in 1982. The centre is used for classic and contemporary concerts, teatre, film screenings and art exhibitions, and houses a library, restaurants, cafes and bars. The areas’ architecture really invites you to go on a photo safari as there are great angles and light everywhere.

Website
barbican.org.uk

Address
Barbican, Silk Street, London, United Kingdom

Graphic Designer

Current city: London

Other cities: Trondheim Copenhagen

lianolsen.com

Johanne Lian Olsen is a Graphic Designer working within type design, editorial design and illustration. She is flexing between working at projects in the UK and Norway.

More Places in London 471

London / Museum

I walk a lot; the best way to experience a city. So it's sometimes to do with the way places join up. This cast concrete letterform is a part of the Lycée's gateway. Each of the form's facets arrives at a different character, so six possible letters come from each cast object. I've never been inside the Lycée but always walked through this way up to the V&A, in order to examine again and again how each form works. The surfaces set the tone for the V&A and its incredible Ceramics floor, a perennial inspiration.

London / Cafe

Coffee roastery, café, pizzeria and cocktail bar inside an old warehouse just around the corner from Broadway Market.

London / Shop

The many book stores dotted along this strip can provide hours of inspiration. Aside from those selling new books, several specialise in second-hand and antiquarian books.

London / Restaurant

Beautiful, calm location for lunch on a sunny day in London. Housed in a former school bike shed on Arnold Circus in Shoreditch. Great seasonal fresh food.

London / Pub

Slightly biased as this is where I live, but Stoke Newington is great place to spend lazy saturday / sunday afternoons getting sloshed with friends. There are 10 + pubs within walking distance who all are great places for one reason or another. I'll pick out the White Hart for its huge beer garden...