Tag Archives: Glasgow

Visaurihelix

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Reimagining the Glasgow of Charles Rennie Mackintosh is the audio-visual installation Visaurihelix, showcasing in The Lighthouse, Glasgow, until 2 January 2019.

Visaurihelix Artist, Dr Louise Harris explained the exhibition title, saying: “It is a made up word, used to summarise the installation, its first part represents visuals, auri is related to sound and helix is related to the helical staircase of The Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse had commissioned the piece, by sending out a brief for a work that would both fit its unique space and celebrate the 150-year legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Harris said:“I have been obsessed with Mackintosh design and architecture since I was a child, and I am also obsessed with spiral staircases, so it was a pretty perfect combination for me; so I applied to the brief, and there you go!”

Harris used her expertise in audio-visual art to compile soundscapes from Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings, before combining and presenting them in a new way. This included using speakers, on The Lighthouse staircase, to vertically play sound recorded from five Rennie Mackintosh sites.

Harris explained: “The majority of the pitched material in the work is mapped from those sites; I built algorithmic software patches that took the site designs and translated them to changes in pitch over time, and that made the electronic backbone of the work.”

She added: “The other audio material is sound that has been recorded in those five spaces and has been combined into the work.”

The work was then made interactive by entwining The Lighthouse staircase in a giant glockenspiel construction, the angles of which mimicked patterns of Charles Rennie Mackintosh design, allowing visitors to create their own sounds.

Harris said:“When I was working in the studio I had to make guesses as to how noises would sound when travelling vertically, not horizontally, so that was quite challenging, but it was a good challenge, it made me think more about how to work with multi-speaker formats in more detail.”

She added:“I was quite surprised how well the speakers worked together, but also how the glockenspiel element turned out.”

 

While Harris knew the exhibition space would be a challenging part of the project, an unexpected challenge arose when the Glasgow School of Art suffered a fire.

Harris said:“I was planning to record sounds from the Art School and include them as one of the building soundscapes in the installation; but the fire happened literally a couple of days before I was due to go in and collect the material, so it was quite poignant.”

Despite being unable to capture soundscapes from the Art School, Harris hopes that Visaurihelix will allow people to reflect on all of Rennie Mackintosh’s work.

She said: “I hope this exhibition’s visitors have enjoyed engaging with different Mackintosh spaces, from different places in the city, and so it acts as a tribute to the Art School as well.”

When first arrived in Glasgow, Harris couldn’t wait to see Mackintosh’s buildings up close.

She explained: “I am a relative new comer to Glasgow, I have only lived here for around four or five years, but the Lighthouse and the Mackintosh buildings and galleries were some of the first things that I explored when I got here.”

Harris moved to Glasgow to take up a position at Glasgow University.

She said: “When I got my job in Glasgow, my title was Lecturer in Sound and Audio Visual Practices, and that type of role was unheard of at the time, but these days it is much more common.

“The audio-visual art scene has changed hugely in the last 10 years or so, audio-visual work has become more prominent in festivals and galleries.”

Harris added:‘I think Glasgow’s audio-visual art scene will continue to develop in coming years. Festivals like Sonica are really good foregrounds for audio-visual art work, so I think Glasgow is quite ahead of the game in that sense.”

Despite this, Harris accepts that the definition of audio-visual art can still be confusing.

She said: “My audio-visual art is about creating pieces that engage your sonic and visual senses simultaneously, and give equal weight to both. If you think about a music video its is about marketing the sound, and if you think about a narrative film that is primarily about the visual; but audio-visual work is about the equality of the relationship between the two mediums.”

To explore Harris’ audio-visual art in other venues, you can see her exhibition, Alocas, in the Stephen Lawrence Gallery, in Greenwich London, from November 2018 until January 2019.

Harris summarised: “Alocas involves a dual screen speaker and audio-visual work. The audience is situated in the middle of two large screens, so it is a very immersive, physical and participatory experience.”

Repair Cafe Glasgow

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Restoring locals’ belongings and sense of belonging is the Repair Cafe Glasgow. The Kinning Park branch has been providing free repair workshops and services since 2017, as part of the wider Repair Cafe International movement.

Repair Cafe Glasgow Communications and Events Officer, Lauren Crilly, said: “Repair Cafe International started in the Netherlands in 2009, and the idea was to open a repair space to the community, where people could come and get their things fixed for free, as well as up-skilling themselves.”

She added: “In 2017-18 we ran a little Repair Cafe in Kinning Park, as part of Social Sundays, which we started as part of a Climate Change Project. It was quite busy, but there was quite a lot of other things going on in the space, so John, our Project Manager, decided the Repair Cafe needed its own space and organisation to flourish.”

The team then applied for the Climate Challenge Fund, in Feburary 2018, and started the Repair Café Glasgow in April.

Crilly said: “The challenges of bringing Repair Cafe to Glasgow has been the same challenges that any small business faces; just getting the word out about your organisation.

“We maintain a presence on social media, so that has been a great way of getting younger people involved. A lot of our volunteers are under the age of 30, and that is not the same as other Repair Cafes across the UK, which tend to have a lot of older, retired volunteers.”

Volunteers of all ages, genders and backgrounds are welcome at Repair Cafe Glasgow, with the current team including Scottish, Irish, German and Spanish repairers.

Crilly said: “We have increased the amount of events that we are doing and increased the amount of people involved as volunteers, but at the moment we are continuing to build our network, get people interested, and build diversity in our team. Just now we have a team dominated by men, so it would be really good to get more women on board!”

As well as a mix of demographics Glasgow Repair Cafe has a mix of skills.

Crilly explained: “Our volunteers are amazing, they are able to tackle electronics, textiles and other materials, but we also get people bringing in things that aren’t any of those, for instance someone recently brought in a broken suitcase.

“When someone brings in something for repair that we don’t specialise in fixing everyone is just willing to have a go; within the Repair Cafe everyone has to have that mentality, because there is only a short amount of time to get things fixed. Sometimes the instinct to repair and have a go just kicks in.”

Crilly added: “At the moment we could definitely use more sewing and textile repair specialists; I think that is the backbone of the Repair events, people tend to have broken clothes, and at the moment we only have two textile volunteers.”

While textile repairs are the most sought after, the Repair Café has had niche requests.

Crilly said: “At our last event we had someone come in with a salad spinner that we weren’t able to fix! It was funny because we had four engineers standing around that broken salad spinner trying to figure out what was wrong with it – turns out it was just a piece of plastic that needed replaced, and we just didn’t have the right part. That woman was quite attached to her salad spinner, so it was sad that we were unable to fix it.”

The sentimental aspect of repairing peoples’ belongings came as a surprise to Crilly.

She said: “People have come in and said things like, ‘this lamp belonged to my mum and my mum’s passed away; I’d really like it if you could fix it’, and then when we’ve fixed it, it has totally put a smile on their face.”

However, Crilly acknowledges not everything is as easy to fix.

She added:  “If someone brought a broken heart in for repair, I would have a cup of tea and chat with him or her, maybe offer them some cake.  There are no professional councillors in Repair Cafe Glasgow, but I do consider myself a slight agony aunt!”

Goodwill is also fostered through Repair Café Glasgow’s community outreach efforts.

Crilly explained: “We are based in Kinning Park Complex, which has a big refugee and Asylum seeker community, so we informally work with organisations that help these groups. The Team that leads Repair Café Glasgow has worked in the community sector for a number of years, so we have a built up a number of community contacts.”

She added: “We go through all avenues and connect with other community organisations; we had an event with Locavore community food shop, on Victoria Road, last month; and now we are having an event at the Rig Art Centre in Greenock, and one at the Broomhill Community Hall, on 24 November, so we are connecting as many existing organisations together as we can.”

Repair Café Glasgow is as much about bringing people together for sustainable living discussions, as it is for reducing waste through repairs.

Crilly said: “When you think about waste reduction, Repair Café Glasgow is quite small scale, but it is about creating a community of people and discussions about environmental issues on a greater scale.”

To join the discussion, come to Glasgow Repair Café’s next event, on Saturday, 20 October at Kinning Park Complex, featuring a ceramics repair workshop and drop in repairs sessions.

Crilly added: “We are doing an event in Greenock in November; we’ll be doing some workshops with the swap market in Govanhill in the New Year, and we’ll be doing another event in Locavore; so we are really wanting to get involved with as many organisations as possible.”

To volunteer with Repair Café Glasgow email hello@repaircafeglasgow.org, follow the café on social media, or join an event to have a chat about volunteering.

 

Glasgow Women’s Library

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Glasgow Women's Library

Ascending the cultural statusphere is a museum unlike any other. From its base in Bridgeton, Glasgow Women’s Library is blazing a trail for the rest of the UK.

“The Library has grown from a tiny grassroots organisation to become the only accredited museum – in the UK – dedicated to Women’s History. It is also a recognised collection of national significance,” GWL Enterprise Development Manager, Sue John, said.

GWL’s status of national significance comes not just from its records of society, but from its social action. The Library grew from an Eighties project titled Women in Profile, which highlighted the cultural achievements of Glasgow’s Women, in the run up to its European City of Culture award.

Since then the library has remained committed to social activism.

John explained: “Outreach programmes are something that Glasgow Women’s Library has always ran. For instance, we have a long standing adult literacy programme and its students often become involved in our other projects.”

Part of these projects has always been the gathering of artifacts on women’s history.

John said: “We collect items that tell the stories of women’s lives, whether it be things from the women’s liberation movement or more recently things collected at Trump protests.”

Throughout the years, as GWL projects grew in number so did its artifacts. Once an impressive collection had formed the GWL went through the robust process of becoming an accredited museum.

John said: “GWL has managed to keep grassroots ownership, because everything in the Library is donated; whether it be the 20000 books, 3000 museum items or 300000 archive items.

“We have kept all of the resources accessible and friendly, to maintain our core values of equality, diversity and inclusion.”

This democratic approach even extends to the museum’s curatorial choices.

John revealed: “We have a project called Women Making an Exhibition of Themselves that gets volunteers involved as the library’s community curators. This means that they help to decide which artifacts make it through to our permanent collection. The community curators pick items and find ways of interpreting their stories.”

Similar interactivity also lies at the heart of GWL events.

John explained: “We host speaker and workshop events that attract both men and women, old and young. For instance, we are hosting Open the Door, a Literary Festival that brings together women authors and aspiring writers. 

The festival will have workshops, performances and networking sessions. Headlining the festival will be writers including, Louise Welsh, Kirsty Logan, Sim Bajwa, Val MacDermid and Lesley McDowell.

John enthused: “The beauty of Glasgow Women’s Library is that we bring together people whose paths might not naturally cross. We have local people rubbing shoulders with Turner Prize nominee artists.”

GWL attempts to make culture accessible to all by offering free activities, Pay It Forward ticket schemes and disability friendly events.

John said: “As a society we are not placing as much importance as we should on the life-changing power of art, culture and heritage. We know that it can be a powerful vehicle in providing opportunities.

“When you improve the lives of women you also improve the lives of their families and the communities that they live within. That is how Glasgow Women’s Library has worked throughout the years to win hearts and minds.”

She concluded: “Everyone is welcome to come into Glasgow Women’s Library. Visitors are greeted with the offer of tea and a tour, they don’t have to spend any money or even have a reason for coming.”

[Photo credit: Keith Hunter]

Fools and Heroes Glasgow

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LARP

  

LARP or Live Action Role Play is latest form of gaming to capture the UKs imagination. Using improv, costumes and outdoor settings, it is literally a breath of fresh air.

“It’s similar to games like Dungeons and Dragons, but instead of sitting around the table rolling dice you put on costumes and become the characters,” LARP veteran Claire Main said.

Main works as Glasgow Branch Liaison Officer to LARP group Fools and Heroes, in which she has gamed for four years.

She said: “LARPing has been around for quite a long time; in the eighties we spotted the first groups in the UK. In the nineties the Cuckoos Nest was set up as part of Glasgow University LARP society, but it has now become its own separate entity. Lots of LARP groups have now sprung up in Glasgow.”

Although one of many, Main explained that the Fools and Heroes group works as part of a wider network.

She said: “The society, as a whole, works by allowing members of one local branch to play in the games of others throughout the country. So you can play as your character and travel as them throughout the UK.”

Main recalled: “I had a phone call this week from a couple in the Plymouth branch of Fools and Heroes, wanting to match our LARP session dates with those of their holiday, so that they could join the game while on their break.”

She added: “I have friends all over the UK now that I wouldn’t have met otherwise; it is a wonderful social network!”

Although part of a national scene, Fools and Heroes Glasgow branch practices most in Mugdock Country Park.

Main set the scene: “The park has a lot of terrain to play with. It has an old World War II bunker that can be adapted to be a trap in the game; it also has open fields and marsh that can be farmland, battlefields or graveyards. Nature can set a wonderful backdrop to get your mind going. Some of the best games that I have had have been when the mist has come rolling in or there has been snow on the ground.”

She added: “Nature is however, only a starting point. Its up to the player to get immersed into the character and for the referees to set each situation up well, so that the game feels authentic.”

This authentic vibe is created by splitting the game and group in half; the first half sees one lot of fools and heroes assume characters on a noble quest, while the second lot will play the villains and damsels in distress. Then after lunch participants swap around, so that everyone gets a chance to play both signature and supporting characters.

Signature characters have become synonymous with LARPing, as many players use the medium to become their idols. However, Main explained that is not quite how it works in the world of Fools and Heroes.

She said: “All LARP groups are different, but Fools and Heroes sees you play one main character of your own design. You will start of as a primary character, such as a squire, then as your character grows in experience and wealth they can progress. For instance, after a while your character can join a guild, join a church, learn magic and develop into an epic hero.

“This development allows you to learn as the same time as your character, for instance the first time your character encounters a troll they won’t know what to do, so a more experienced character will need to step in and show you. Then as you learn and progress you will help those less experienced.”

This learning also expands players’ life skills.

Main explained: “It gets you exercising and encourages you to develop other skills on the side. I have learned to sew, knit, crochet all through LARPing.”

While the game is progressive, it is high contact, so not suitable for everyone.

Main cautioned: “Fools and Heroes LARP is a physical game, it involves running and combat so it would be more challenging for people with mobility restrictions, however there are all kinds of LARPing out there, so it is up to the player to find one that suits them.”

Likewise Fools and Heroes only allows full membership at the age of eighteen, due to its adult content, but Main explains that there are other groups out there that will cater to younger players.

She concluded: “It is hard to describe what LARPing is, so I would say to anyone that is curious about it to just come along and give it a go. It would lend itself well to team building and an alternative day out.”

 

 

Glasgow Paranormal Investigations

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GPI 

Exploring the unknown in Scotland is Glasgow Paranormal Investigations, one of the country’s oldest ghost hunting clubs. Founded in 2008, GPI investigates places like castles and military bases; as well as businesses and homes.

In fact, it was haunted house that led to the club’s formation.

Investigator Billy Binnie said: He said: “One night I was at home watching TV, with my back to the door, when my wife went upstairs for a shower. I heard her come back downstairs, open and then shut the door and go back upstairs. I didn’t think anything of it until she came back to watch TV.

“I asked her what she had forgotten and she was confused; she said that she hadn’t been down the stairs until right then. But I had felt and heard the door open and close. So if it wasn’t her then what was it?”

Intrigued by their experience, both Billy and Kim Binnie attended a ghost-hunting group, where they met paranormal investigators Lisa Maxwell and James Hume.

Binnie recalled: “After going to a few of these meetings we decided we could do much better ourselves; so we broke off and formed our own group, which became Glasgow Paranormal Investigations.”

Now the four work with ‘relief investigators’ to track paranormal activity.

Binnie said: “We can help people understand what is going on their houses; we can track the paranormal activity and attempt to communicate with spirits through our technology.”

The group does not however perform exorcisms.

Binnie explained: “For that you would need a priest or a really good medium.”

He added: “If people have genuine poltergeist activity then they should seek help, not attempt to tackle it themselves. Care should be taken when dealing with spirits.”

Despite this warning, Binnie perceives ghostly activity as a positive thing.

He said: “Belief in the paranormal has given me more hope in life after death. It makes me think that when people die it is not just the end; that they continue on in another plane of existence.”

While firm in his belief, Binnie wants to find more evidence of ghosts.

He said: “Paranormal activity centres around personal experience, which can be hard to translate into solid evidence.

“For example when GPI went to Renfrew Baths, we heard a faint cry about four or five times in a row. Of the eight of us in the room, six of us heard it. No one in the room made the noise, but I am at a loss to say what did. I would say it was a spirit, but I can’t prove it beyond doubt because I didn’t have a camera on everyone.”

Video cameras are just some of the technology GPI use to track ghosts.

Binnie said: “We now use spirit boxes to scan radio frequencies and look for manipulation. This allows us to ask questions and hear answers in real time.”

As well as spirit boxes the club uses electromagnetic frequency (EMF) detectors, video and thermal imaging cameras.

Binnie said: “Thermal imaging cameras detect change in heat, so you can see hand and feet prints left by spirits. The cameras used to be thousands of pounds to buy, but now you can get ones that you plug into iPads and capture the thermal images through its screen.”

Evidence of the clubs’ findings can be seen on its website, but Binnie said this is no substitute for a live investigation.

He added: “Sometimes when you are just about to pack up the tracking technology goes crazy or you hear an unusual noise. Sometimes when you are chatting as a group the spirit can feed of your energy; or seek to get the energy directed back to them and let you know they are around.”

While exciting, Binnie said GPI work was hard.

He explained: “The club is not for everyone. There can be hours and hours of video footage and audio files to go back and examine after an investigation takes place.”

However, enthusiasts are always welcome to try the club.

Binnie concluded: “The best way to join GPI is to come along on our investigations and get to know us. We have very high standards/expectations from members. So at the moment it is a case of working alongside us as a relief investigator until everyone is happy.”

To join GPI gatherings enthusiasts can find the details on the group’s Facebook page.

 

Glasgow Mela Festival

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Mela pic

 

Bringing the world to Kelvingrove Park is Scotland’s biggest multicultural arts festival, Glasgow Mela. Taking place on 17 July – from noon until 8pm – the event celebrates Scotland’s diversity.

Glasgow Mela Steering Group Chair, Councillor Soryia Siddique said: “We have artists coming from India and Pakistan, as well as acts who will perform sets based on Roma, Polish, Chinese, African and Scottish Culture, to name just a few. It is truly a multi-cultural celebration of Glasgow and all its communities. “

With live music, dancing, workshops and food, Glasgow Mela has something for everyone.

Siddique added: “Mela is a family event so everyone – from the very young to the very old – can come and enjoy it and they often do. One of the real pleasures of working on the event is to see so many families.”

40,000 people attended Mela 2015, as the festival celebrated its 25th year.

Siddique recalled: “Last year was brilliant, amazing, fantastic. I don’t imagine anyone who saw the headline collaboration of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and The Dhol Foundation will ever forget it. We enjoyed a glorious day.”

This year’s festival looks to continue the trend, with Pakistan’s Pop Idol Asad Abbas; UK Bhangra star Lehmber Hussainpuri; and the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band all headlining.

Siddique added: “There will also be several Glasgow based musical collaborations that I am very excited to see performed live for the first time.”

As well as music, Mela 2016 will host interactive workshops.

Siddique said: “We have a dedicated area which will allow younger people to give new sports a try and there is also an area dedicated to global games. As well as this, there is a Children’s zone that includes an Indian puppet show and a place to make and fly kites.”

After working up an appetite revellers can take respite from Glasgow Mela’ s many food and drink stalls.

Siddique explained: “The Glasgow Mela is always held shortly after the end of Ramadan and so we aim to have a broad range of food, much of it locally sourced, for people to enjoy.”

The Councillor concluded: “If you’ve never been you have to come and give it a try. There’s a whole world of entertainment happening on your doorstep. Come and join us as we celebrate the many cultures that make Glasgow the vibrant and distinct city it is.”

 

Picture: Copyright to Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Mela.
(L-R) Amisha Mandaniya, Gayatri Dixi, Pragati Malhotra, Consellor Soryia Siddique, Dhuwaraha Rajathelakan, Thurgajini Srikaran and Dagshagini Taylor.

The Homeless World Cup

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Screen Shot 2016-04-03 at 12.10.22 

Homelessness and football are often seen in Glasgow but not usually associated, that is until now, as Glasgow prepares to host the men and women’s Homeless World Cup (HWC) 2016.

Running from July 10-16, the tournament will see George Square converted into three pitches with seating for 100,000 spectators.

These seats are bound to fill fast, as the Cup is un-ticketed and free to attend.

HWC spokesperson said: “It couldn’t be easier; fans just turn up, watch some amazing football and hear some inspiring stories.”

Personal development is centre to the HWC, as players from all 64 teams participate in the its National Partner Programme. The Partner Programme involves 73 organisations from across the globe, which help their national players gain necessities such as education, employment, rehab and supported housing.

HWC Foundation President Mel Young said: “We will have 512 players with us, and every single one of them is at some stage of their journey towards a more stable future. Their personal stories are remarkable, often very moving, but they reflect a real hope for social justice.”

Social justice can be seen in the legacy of the HWC, as its spokesperson explained: “Statistics show 80% of Homeless World Cup players re-build their lives.”

He added: “We want that pattern, if not more, to be the case for 2016. We hope Glasgow continues to support its National Partner, Street Soccer Scotland, which helps thousands of men and women out of homelessness and social exclusion.”

Testament to this good work is 30-year-old Scot, Jamie Maclean. Maclean started working with the programme in 2009, but struggled to overcome drug addiction, so missed out on that year’s HWC. However after years of support he got clean, secured a job with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, and joined the HWC 2015 in Amsterdam.

Maclean said: “To be able to come back and have my family watching me on the TV is brilliant. It makes me feel proud.”

He added: “I came through the other side, overcoming addiction and now I’m helping people with similar problems.”

To help people like Jamie Maclean HWC fans can sponsor the tournament, buy a Supporter package or volunteer at the event.

Mel Young concluded: “We need to galvanize our global fan base if we’re really going to make a difference. With 100 million people homeless globally, we’re still just scratching the surface.”

StrEAT Glasgow

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StrEAT Glasgow pic

Combining Glasgow’s love of arts and eats; StrEAT food festival is coming to the Briggait on September 26 -27, and the best part is it’s free!

After witnessing the success of its London events, StrEAt organisers: Nicky Modlin, Simon Foy, Donald MacLeod and Vanessa Gilpin brought it north of the border.

Vanessa Gilpin explained: “A lot of culinary festivals just focus on food, but this one will include music and visual arts.

“There will be craft workshops throughout the day for kids and adults, including a live art session, where members of the public can use materials provided to get inspired.”

StrEAT Glasgow will also have artists playing between 2 and 9pm; with music ranging from folk to acoustic and jazz.

Gilpin said: “We are still confirming the full line up, but we have arranged a live jam session on Sunday for musicians to turn up and preform.”

She added: “There will be lots of seating for people to take in the atmosphere while enjoying their food.”

The festival will have an area of cold stalls, with chocolates, cakes and artisan beers; as well as a vendor catering area, where visitors can grab a hot bite to eat.

Gilpin said: “StrEAt Glasgow will feature food traders already quite popular in the area, such as Babu Bombay Street Kitchen,  Mighty Mexican, and Smoak.

“Then to wash this down there will be lots of craft beer and cocktails.”

Gilpin explained that people can follow StrEAT Glasgow on social media, to discover the traders as they are revealed. She vowed the festival would appeal to all tastes and ages.

“From noon – 5pm there will be a chilled vibe and we expect a lot of families to attend at this time. Then, toward the end of the night, as the DJs hit the stage, there will be more of an adult feel to the festival.”

She concluded: “StrEAT festival is an exciting new concept for Glasgow; it will showcase great food and arts that no one should miss out on!”

Open House Art Festival

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Tine

Bringing visual art to the public, Glasgow’s Open House Festival returned for its second year. Running May 2 – 4; the weekend saw local art installed in everyday buildings.

Open House Artist Tine Bek said: “The festival involved almost 200 artists, whose work was spread out throughout town, in houses and public spaces; to make it more accessible.”

The festival provided a platform for (emerging and established) artists to open their practices, and sometimes homes, to new audiences. By removing art from conventional spaces and embedding it in infrastructure Open House gave a second perspective of Glasgow.

Turning heads in the Savoy Centre was photographer Tine Bek. She and fellow artist, Scott Caruth, made the ‘Twofold’ exhibition in Savoy Centre disused units.

Bek explained: “The exhibition was collaboration between myself and Scott; we arranged our space together, but as two separate shows with the common link of travel.”

In Twofold Bek and Caruth presented work developed during artist residencies abroad. Bek was ‘artist in residence’ in Buenos Aires, and Caruth was one in Modena.

Caruth mused on the legacy of the 70s Italian movement ‘Autonomia’, while Bek examined the Baroque period and its influence.

She said: “This is a selection of images from a book I am making called the Barok. It views the Barok as a state of mind, as opposed to a just time in history. The work examines human interactions; the way people deal with space and excess.”

Bek describes the baroque as both a period in design and as a philosophy on duality. Bek’s work showed this conflating illusion and reality, light and dark and time and space.

These contrasts worked well in Twofold’s unusual setting.

Bek said: “Exhibiting in a Savoy Centre unit has been awkward, but in a good way. Working in unconventional space challenged me as an artist, and opened my work to people who wouldn’t usually see it.”

Opportunity has also arisen in her partnership with Caruth.

Bek explained: “Scott and I have been talking about working together for about three years, having both graduated from Glasgow School of Art (GSA) Fine Art photography. It has been great to finally collaborate and bounce ideas off each other.”

She added: “We are thinking about working together in the future, and possibly making a book of photography.”

This natural development of talent was the founding principle of Glasgow Open House (GOH) an artist-led, not-for-profit group, established by GSA alumna Amalie Silvani-Jones, in 2013.

Since its founding, GOH has helped grassroots artists circulate their work. This ethos was then enshrined in the Glasgow Open House Art Festival 2014.

The 2014 festival showcased 80 artists, however a year later the festival had grown and included new ‘Art Walks’, touring its exhibitions. Specially commissioned flags were made (in partnership with Project Ability and COLOUR HOTEL) to adorn Glasgow buildings, pinpointing the art.

Artist work and details of the 2015 festival can be viewed at the Glasgow Open House Art Festival website.