The monograph is a popular platform for dissemination and debate in the art and design world, yet architectural monographs are often treated with suspicion – viewed more as a self-serving PR exercise. But do monographs actually have a more substantive role within the practice of architecture? This was the backdrop for a discussion entitled ‘Why a Monograph?’ held at Waterstones Piccadilly as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. The participants included Jay Merrick, architecture correspondent of The Independent; Simon Henley of Henley Halebrown Rorrison (HHbR); David Grandorge, architectural photographer and Senior Lecturer at London’s CASS; and Ros Diamond of Diamond Architects. The session was chaired by ArchDaily Editor James Taylor-Foster.
In the highly competitive and contested landscape of contemporary urban construction, the role of the architect is being increasingly marginalised – and by extension the voice of the architect is increasingly drowned out. According to Merrick, the monograph presents an opportunity for architects to express their own ideas and opinions and to situate their projects within a personal worldview. These thoughts were echoed by Henley when he spoke about how journals and other digital platforms often could not contextualise a practice’s projects within the architects’ own body of work, tending rather to focus purely on “its own time and what’s in the news”. He also felt that the act of looking back at ones own work brings about “resonances between different projects,” allowing for a deeper understanding of the work.
