Baltic Shop are excited to announce an evening with author John Grindrod (Concretopia, Outskirts) in celebration of his latest book, Iconicon: A Journey Around The Landmark Buildings Of Contemporary Britain.

The event will be free, and will take place on Saturday 18th June, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.

Grindrod’s first book, Concretopia, traced the utopian post-war ideals of the UK’s built environment – examining the wide-eyed idealism in brutalist office blocks, car parks and council housing. His latest book picks up where that book left off. Iconicon explores how the ascent of Thatcher and the free markets altered our built environment and our lives, from Right To Buy to Barratt Homes. It follows this thread through the New Labour years and grand Millennium projects, and ends in the present day amongst Brexit and the pandemic. Throughout, Grindrod’s writing is accessible, eminently readable and peppered with anecdotes both hilarious and heartbreaking.

For the event, John Grindrod will present a talk detailing the topics covered in his book, followed by a Q&A hosted by Euan Lynn from the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Modernist Society. There will be a selection of books for sale, including those by John and other relevant titles, and free refreshments in Baltic’s Front Room. On the event, Andrew Smith of Baltic Shop said: “We are very pleased to be hosting this event with John – Baltic is one of the buildings he writes about in Iconicon, and so it felt appropriate that we celebrate its release together in our spectacular building, especially as we approach Baltic’s 20th anniversary.”

The evening will be free to attend, and there is no booking required. Details here.