Happy Birthday, Barbican

This year sees the Barbican Centre celebrate 30 years of contribution to the arts by crafting a spectacular season of cultural events. Encompassing dance, film, music, theatre, visual arts and creative learning the Barbican has, over the years, become a significant cultural presence both on an international stage and within the City of London, and is integral to this year's Olympic celebrations.

Crane.tv visited the venue, itself a stunning example of modern architecture, to talk to managing director Sir Nicholas Kenyon, and to Lousie Jeffries, director of programming. "Thirty years ago when the Barbican opened - and it had taken a long time to build - it was actually considered quite an unfashionable style. The great days of Modernism were past, and people felt that it was a little bit out of its time. The really fascinating thing that has happened over the last three decades is that this style has now become an icon of its time because it is a model of what modernism can be," Kenyon told us.

Kenyon went on to say that he hopes that the next 30 years will see the Barbican become more inclusive and encourage a whole new generation of art lovers who can appreciate and question the many facets of modern art.

Text by Holly Fraser