Architecture and Cities Research Forum: Gangue Architecture by Victoria Watson

This seminar reflected on the author’s research with ‘air grid’ structures. It returned to an old line of inquiry, comparing air grids with the paintings of the Agnes Martin, and then turned to a new line of inquiry, looking at a form of proletarian art rooted in lead mining traditions in the Northern Pennines, called ‘spar boxes’. Researching spar boxes revealed the concept of ‘gangue material’ and shows how and why, gangue materials were produced through the value structures of lead mining. The seminar speculated on why the concept of gangue materials might be relevant for understanding air grids and their relationship to architectural design.