October 2018 – Brutalist DC

*“Soft Brutalism” took 2nd Place in the AIA|Miami Photography Competition*

The Hirshhorn Museum is a perennial favorite here at Brutalist DC, and we’re always looking for new angles that accentuate its textural qualities. On this otherwise dreary day, enough water had collected on a wall at the nearby Air & Space Museum that an opportunity for a double Hirshhorn exposure presented itself. With a depth of field that rendered the foreground out-of-focus, the Hirshhorn appears softer in its reflection, allowing its distinct cylindrical form to blur at the edges. This image, drawn from the Brutalist DC Instagram feed and taken by Brutalist DC founder Deane Madsen, took second place in the color category of AIA|Miami’s 2018 Architecture Photography Competition.

See the full set of winners at AIA|Miami.

*Screenshot from CGTN America segment on Brutalism in Washington*

Brutalism is in the news once again, with founder Deane Madsen appearing on CGTN America to discuss Washington, D.C.’s collection of Brutalism at the Hirshhorn Museum. CGTN reporter Owen Fairclough surveys the deep catalogue of D.C.’s Brutalist buildings and interviews Madsen about his love of the style. Walking in the courtyard of the Hirshhorn Museum, Madsen praises Brutalism’s texture, materiality, and expression of structure, all of which are on display at the Hirshhorn. Of course, Brutalism is an often misunderstood moniker, as brief snippets with passersby illustrate.

The segment first aired on Oct. 5, 2018. Watch the full clip via CGTN America or below:

Many thanks to Owen Fairclough, Ahmad Coo, and the rest of the CGTN production team for putting all of this together. Thanks also to the gracious Hirshhorn Museum staff for facilitating the filming. A gratuitous selection of screenshots from the segment follows.

Month: October 2018

Brutalism Takes Second in AIA Miami Photography Competition

Brutalist DC on CGTN America