The Secret Life of Buildings: Salon with Tom Wilkinson & Tom Campbell

In partnership with The London Festival of Architecture

What are the economic, erotic, political and psychological impacts of architecture on people? NovelistTom Campbelland art historianTom Wilkinsonexplore the secret life of buildings and their influence on people and their lives.

Architecture moulds us just as much as we mould it, and understanding architecture helps us to understand our lives and our world, argues Tom Wilkinson. His book,Bricks and Mortalsreveals the powerful and intimate relationship between society and architecture through ten great buildings across the world and asks: can architecture change our lives for the better?

Tom Campbells novel,The Planner, is about the wild adventures of a town planner, set in London. Nick HornbysHigh Fidelityfor a new generation,The Planneris a funny and provocative novel about dreams and ambitions and how they can rise and fall like the city skyline. A love story to London,The Planneris a novel for anyone who has ever found themselves adrift in a big city.

Campbell treats the subject of modern London with an elegant, vicious wit that is hugely addictive, but also with a sort of compassion and even affection. A genuinely funny, scathing, intelligent book that manages to nail both the lunacy of modern urban living and the more general problem of being a human beingMark Watson onThe Planner

Tom Wilkinsonis writing a doctoral thesis on art history at University College London, where he teaches an undergraduate course on architectural history. He has lectured on the history of art and architecture at the Courtauld Gallery and the University of Oxford. He has lived in Shanghai and Berlin.

Tom Campbellread history at Edinburgh University.Fold, his first novel, was published by Bloomsbury in 2011 to critical acclaim. He lives in north London with his wife and three sons.

Tickets: £10 / Students £6

Book online at www.bloomsburyinstitute.com