In the run up to the general election MakingLewes are hosting a new series of talks, taking their lead from the election and after, on the future of architecture, housing and the impact of new technologies.

Anna Minton – Public & Privatised Housing

April 10th, 7.30pm, The Needlemakers Cafe (map)
Suggested Donation £5

Anna Minton is a writer and journalist, who contributes regularly to The Financial Times, The Guardian and the BBC. She is the author of Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the Twenty First Century an ‘acclaimed polemic’ in defense of the public realm and against the growing transformation of Britain’s streets into privatised space over the last thirty years. Minton is a Reader in Architecture at the University of East London, and has been author of a number of influential reports on the future of Housing for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and The Institution of Chartered Surveyors, amongst others.

Alastair Parvin – WikiHouse, 3D Printing & Open Source Building

April 17th, 7.30pm, Elephant & Castle* (map)
Suggested Donation £5

Alastair Parvin is one of the original catalyzers of WikiHouse – the Open Source Architectural and building network, which has been taken up all over the planet and triggered a wave of independent WikiHouse designs. Parvin is part of 00 Architecture, the radical architectural practice known for their fusion of the latest in social media with a progressive architectural agenda. He has authored Right to Build, an examination of the housing industry and polemic for a new social media aware self build revolution.

Jay Merrick – Architecture & Architects – No point. Let’s Just Finish Them Off!

May 1st, 7.30pm, Elephant & Castle* (map)
Suggested Donation £5

Jay Merrick has been architecture critic of The Independent for 14 years, following an earlier career in news and environmental journalism. He writes regularly for Architects Journal, and has contributed to Deutche Bauzeitung, Blueprint, Building Design, Monument (Australia), Quotidien de l’Art, New Society, and the London Magazine. Jay has written central essays in architectural monographs for practices including Grimshaw and Partners, Wilkinson Eyre, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, and Arup Associates. He also works as a regular consultant for architectural practices. Jay has also written on art-related subjects for The Independent, Architects Journal, and Goodwood Magazine. His novel, Horse Latitudes, was published by Fourth Estate in 1999.

*Elephant & Castle Talks take place in the upstairs events room of the pub. Drinks available at the bar.