The Exploits of Architect's without Jobs

Something amazing happened today. After seven months of being without a job, I had a career affirming moment; one I had been awaiting , for as long as I have been practicing. The irony is that it should come whilst I am ‘redundant’.

When I lost my job, it had struck me, that time spent in the hinterland of redundancy might actually be a revitalising time. And it does seem that in this strangest of times, individuals have been forced to re-evaluate and adapt their modes of practice in order to survive; it also strikes me that, as in the last great recession, that of the 90s, the results are wonderfully creative and entrepreneurial . And so the intention of this blog is to collect together the stories of ‘Architects without jobs’ as a record of what feels like quite an amazing period.

The number of out of work architects is staggering, anecdotally I can say that this summer I have frequently had the disorientating experience of encountering people out and about at odd times – during working hours; I have shared what feel like naughty coffees on weekdays; come across whole flat shares of architectural professions without jobs and my group of friends, here in London, is being alarmingly depleted as people literally take flight back to their homes.

It has lead me to wonder what recessions do to social networks (but that is for another blog).

At one level these are bleak times but for me, and I imagine for many others, it has also been incredibly fertile time.

My Story:

I was made redundant at the end of 2008; my recession has meant time spent in projects on the fringes of the profession. One such project has been ‘discussions on film’, which I hope will be a series of film and discussion evenings around social issues in the built environment, we held the first evening on August 1^st at The Corridor gallery (also run by architects currently out of work) in London and plan to hold the next at Dalston's Arcola Theatre. Being without a job has also meant time spent developing a ‘position’ as an architect; something started as a student but that I have not had the luxury of whilst working for others. One always tries to align one self with practices that have values and interest similar to one’s own. However mental space is required to develop one’s own interests and position; the space created by the absence of job is perfect for this. It has meant doing competitions, writing, but also simply thinking.

During the few short years I have worked I have often been troubled by a recurring thought. ‘How is what I do relevant’? I am sure that I am not alone in having had this thought. Days spent in that black zoomspace of a Cad programme, following a crosshair, drafting whatever it happens to be - reflected ceiling plans, drainage details, on even the most amazing projects can seem incredibly removed from the things that motivated one to study architecture.

One aspect that is important for me began to crystalised one evening three or four years ago, returning from an evening at the aforementioned Arcola theatre, I had an encounter with a group of youths. It culminated in me being threatened with a knife. At the time I remember being incensed at them for their behaviour, I had, somewhat unwisely, shouted at them that they would all end up in jail. Why weren’t they at home studying? I am now ashamed of my middle class projections and rantings.

The night has lived with me since. At the time I felt incredibly powerless and therefore increasingly frustrated as gun and knife crime have made frequent news copy over the years. I would like, in my professional capacity, to do something relevant to this situation, something which, at the risk of sounding hopelessly gushy will affect lives. I think that good interventions in the built environment can do this - they can be a beginning.

So, it is fortuitous then that a couple of weeks ago I bumped into an old friend from school days. We had been members of youth theatre together and shared a night on the Olivier stage as teenagers. Since then I have studied architecture and he has become a mental health project leader, who is also the head of his local resident’s association, on a large estate in Hackney’s Clapton Park. During our meeting he tells me of his group’s aspiration to create a football facility for the local kids. He asks if I can use Sketch-up and if so could I help them draw up proposals to make a bid for government funding. And there it is, my thing; Can I use sketch-up? How many hours spent (with 3d Max, Rhino, Microstation…actually I can’t use sketch –up) producing visuals of buildings which have now faded in memory. We arrange to meet again at the residents’ association.

I arrive, and as we chat about our relative journeys over the years, sitting in a single storey building on his estate, I am struck by the lack of funding evident in the condition of the building and even more so when, my old friend tells me of the work he does here for nothing. He speaks of the Olympic Legacy money and how it is going to be applied to the park, there has he says been insufficient consultation with locals. Their approach in contrast is bottom up, they in the midst of the estate he says are the bottom, the grass roots, which incidently is the name of the local playing fields, which he informs me are the largest in Europe , these are the ‘Grass Roots’, which fostered talent such as that of David Beckham. And thus whilst his interest still lays predominantly in theatre, he recognises the shear seductive power of ‘the game’, it’s potential to bring funding the area and thus divert the kids from the ever growing issue of social exclusion facing them.

It might be a fair criticism that sport is often offered to ‘disadvantaged’ youths as a distraction but what I am coming to understand here that football is not the point, it is the community structures that grow up around it, or any other mass community activity that are critical. The youth club is also engaged in theatre productions, which it has successfully put on at community theatres and which have a similar cohesive effect. But on this site, which adjoins the famous ‘grass-roots’ pitches, football is appropriate. It just so happens that this site lies between two estates and despite the presence of some public art, plays host to warfare between rival groups of children. We discuss the process of coming up with what will effectively be an outline proposal and the process of making funding applications. His passion and energy are admirable and infectious and I am on board.

So for me this recession has meant, amongst other things, getting my first solo commission, and becoming a curator.

Sarah Akigbogun