In his new book A New Kind of Bleak: Journeys through Urban Britain, Owen Hatherley finds a landscape where ruination is overtaking regeneration, and yet discovers strange and potentially radical things growing in the wasteland.  

He is joined by the creator of polemical fanzine Savage Messiah, Laura Oldfield-Ford, and Owen Jones, author of Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class.

Part of the Writing Britain: From Wastelands to Wonderlands exhibition:

From William Blake to the 21st-century suburban hinterlands of J G Ballard, Writing Britain examines how the landscapes of Britain permeate great literary works. It will allow visitors to read between the lines of great works of English literature, discovering the secrets and stories surrounding the works’ creation, shedding new light on how they speak to the country today.  Over 150 literary works, including many first-time loans from overseas and directly from authors: sound recordings, videos, letters, photographs, maps, song lyrics and drawings - as well as manuscripts and printed editions.

Tickets: £7.50 / £5 concessions - book here.