Article by Nadine Mcbay
Trongate 103
It's a cliche that's come to have regular resonance in these recession-blighted times. But as the doors of The Lighthouse close as Scotland's centre for architecture and design goes into administration, those of another creative hub open. Its bolts loosened to the public on Sep 12, Trongate 103 will be the new home of eight of Scotland's most forward-thinking arts organisations, including Glasgow Print Studio, Street Level Photoworks, Transmission, Glasgow Centre For Media Access (GMAC), the Russian Cultural Centre, Glasgow Independent Studio And Project Room, Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre and Project Ability. With 8000 square metres floor space - similar to that of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum - the six-storey Edwardian warehouse has been transformed into a bright, airy and accessible hub housing exhibition spaces, studios, production suites, workshops, vibrant social spaces such as the Russian Cultural Centre's Cafe Cossachok and even, on GMAC's fifth floor, a 48-seater screening room.
Situated on the corner of the Trongate and Candleriggs, in the heart of the city's creative quarter, Trongate 103 is the result of collaboration between the arts organisations and Culture And Sport Glasgow, the independent charity owned by Glasgow City Council.
‘I remember going to meetings as far back as 1996 to discuss ways in which the organisations in the area could grow and expand,' says Malcolm Dickson, chair of the Trongate 103 Tenants' Forum and director of Street Level Photoworks. ‘Meetings continued to be held and in the early 2000s, Glasgow City Council, recognising the changes that were happening in the Merchant City, devised a strategy called Housing The Visual Arts. It was to ensure that groups within the area stayed within the area and Trongate 103 is the conclusion of that strategy. It's developed in a natural, organic way. There's been challenges of course, but you always want an element of creative friction, otherwise you get complacent.'
September will be a bustle of activity for the new centre, with public events, projects and exhibitions scheduled for the opening weekend, Doors Open Day weekend (Sep 19 and 20) and the Merchant City Festival at the end of the month. It'll also be the first chance for the public to see the works by Edinburgh-based artist Donald Urquhart, created specifically for the building. Whereas the ground and first floors will be open to all, the rest of the building is host to practitioner's studios, workshops and meeting areas designed to encourage collaboration and discussion between the organisations.
‘It's about accentuating, optimising and maximising all of what the organisations do already,' explains Dickson. ‘There's some overlap in what we do, with us, Glasgow Print Studio and GMAC being about production and Project Ability being about access. Then you've got Sharmanka which is more of an experiential, performance-based organisation. But our shared vision is to continue what we do while finding ways of connecting and reaching out to people on a deeper level.'
Just as the fabric of the building is a contrast between age-worn brickwork and bright, clean lines, the production facilities offer a mix of traditional tools and modern digital technology. As well as housing spaces for Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art and a studio for visiting artists, the second floor of the £8.5 million project is set to become a prime resource for the building with Street Level's archive of three decades' worth of art publications. It's hoped that footage dating back to the early 1970s, taken by CCA-precursor The Third Eye Centre, and featuring everyone from Allen Ginsberg to John Byrne and Edwin Morgan, will also be archived.
‘There's a perception that the Scottish art scene only got started in the late 1980s and 1990s, but many of the organisations here have roots which go back further,' Dickson says. ‘And Trongate 103 is something of a celebration of Scottish art since then. We want to make this artistic lineage accessible to say, people just out of art school.'
With a succession of companies and projects suffocating in the present climate, the timing of Trongate 103's opening may be unusual, but Dickson is confident it wont be transient like many of the retail outlets further down into Argyle Street.
‘You can't just wrap the duvet around you because everyone says there's a recession,' he says with a whiff of optimism and defiance. This is about investing in the future by keeping the organisations here and ensuring they grow. As well as the wider regeneration of this part of the city, we want to create a lasting legacy for the artists of the future.'
Nadine McBay
Trongate 103 opens on Sep 12.
