Robots of Brixton is an architectural film project that explores the relationship between architecture, class and race. Using Brixton (or an augmented Brixton) as backdrop, the project uses robots as metaphors for a future intake of migrants to the UK. It acts as a commentary on the cyclical nature of the working class in areas with diverse populations such as Brixton.

The film follows the trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment. When the Police invade the one space which the robots can call their own, the fierce and strained relationship between the two sides explodes into an outbreak of violence echoing that of the Brixton Riots of 1981.

The projects shows Brixton as a degenerated and disregarded area inhabited by London’s new robot workforce. The robots are built and designed to carry out all of the tasks which humans are no longer inclined to do. The mechanical population of Brixton has rocketed, resulting in unplanned, cheap and quick additions to the skyline.

Architecturally, Robots of Brixton has three main design strands:
1. Urbanism and Masterplanning. To design the film I first had to readapt and interoperate the architecture of Brixton. Social housing, Markets, Public buildings and spaces were all researched and redesigned at urban scale.
2. Film Design. The film in itself was a complex design project; all the environments, set design, and transitions between films scenes had to fit together harmoniously.
3. Robot Design. Using 2D and 3D techniques each robot was designed in detail.

Robots of Brixton is a project that bridges architecture and politics using the medium of film as an open and accessible way in. The England riots of 2011 amplify the subject matter as both potent and relevant.

The project won the Silver Medal for best Master’s Thesis in England in 2011, and went on to win a raft of awards and film festival entries, including Sundance.