Melbourne’s Brutalist Block Party Pays Tribute To Architecture’s Most Misunderstood Movement

Brutalist architecture tends to divide people. All those exposed concrete facades and towering grey columns that seem like they’re trying to look ugly on purpose…if you don’t love it, you probably hate it. The much maligned style has enjoyed renewed popularity of late, and Melbourne’s Brutalist Block Party is getting on board with the revival this month by hosting a series of social and cultural events that pay homage to the city’s most misunderstood public buildings.

Organised by Assemble Papers in collaboration with Open House Melbourne and taking place over the course of this month, Brutalist Block Party includes a program of talks, workshops, lunches, dinners, and social situations that are inspired by, and celebrate, Melbourne’s brutalist heritage. Events include pop-up dinner Otis Brutal, a weekly produce market, film screenings, and music. The whole thing based out of an appropriately concrete-fronted warehouse in Clifton Hill.

To find out more, The Creators Project spoke to Assemble Papers Creative Producer and Brutalist Block Party co-organiser Rachel Elliot-Jones. As might be expected, she’s a big fan of brutalism—citing Melbourne’s Total House, Sydney’s Sirius building, and London’s Barbican centre as some of her favourite examples of the style.

You wouldn’t immediately think of a produce market or dinner party as being brutalist, but when you consider the movement’s post-war origins, the Block Party’s emphasis on communal food events start to make sense. Many brutalist buildings were in fact designed to foster community spirit and bring people together in new utopian ways; Elliot-Jones describes brutalism as “an antidote to architectural decadence” that “promotes wider sensibilities of fostering community.”

“Our program is also designed to bring a community together in appreciation of the style—be it through food, talks or games of ping pong,” she says.

As Melbourne’s brutalist buildings come up for consideration by the Victorian Heritage Register this year, Elliot-Jones hopes that Brutalist Block Party will raise awareness about their historical value. “We hope that by celebrating Brutalism we’re able to preserve diversity through these significant architectural structures in our city,” she says. “It’s a misunderstood movement, and not appreciated by everyone. We’re hoping to encourage people to understand its significance.”

The Brutalist Block Party runs until Sunday May 29. You can find out more and view the full program here.

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