The 2023 Isle of Man Arts Council Annual Lecture took place on Monday evening to a packed Gaiety Theatre.Kevin McCloud, designer and presenter of the much loved and long running “Grand Designs” programme, was the guest for the evening, hosted by Christy de Haven. Kevin’s talk during the first half centred around “what is architecture?” where he discussed why, where and how humans build, how architecture has changed and the evolution of planning, sustainability, design and construction.

During the second half of the evening, members of the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions to Kevin directly, including 13 year old aspiring architect Isabella who asked for advice on how to achieve her professional dreams as well as other questions touching on the development of passive housing and Kevin’s favourite room in his own home! The audience enjoyed an interesting and thought provoking evening, with comments such as “I just wanted to let you know we all really enjoyed the Annual Lecture,” “Great night, please please do more of these” and “Wasn’t he great! Especially over being ambitious over passive homes”, whilst Kevin thanked the Arts Council for a warm welcome and a wonderful evening with a packed audience saying “The Isle is planning fossil fuel-free homes. Laudable”

The Isle of Man Arts Council Annual Lecture aims to provide Manx audiences with an opportunity to engage with prominent public figures within the creative industries to inspire greater understanding and enjoyment of arts and culture and to explore new horizons through innovation and media.

Photo credit- Arianne Monds