The Independent Group and Little Magazines, 1956-64

This article makes the case for the little magazine as an overlooked component in the understanding of the Independent Group. As a supplement to the inclusion of the Independent Group in architectural history, which tends to focus on the individual architect, this article takes a different view. Rather than looking at images as isolated embodiments of Independent Group ideas, this article looks at the dissemination of the group’s ideas in the later 1950s and 1960s, and the context within which this dissemination took place in three little magazines, Architectural Design, Living Arts and Uppercase. Drawing on new, primary research the article asks: how can this ‘behind the scenes’ approach add to our understanding of the Independent Group and the discourse of architecture?