heFront
’ ‘ ‘ .'“ r " x \ "‘$’*"*‘*—:’5€§g , ' " r ~ <0..." Hg} 1“! .1 ~‘ ‘A‘
Glasgow opens
.. ..‘"
it doors
Ruth Hedges gets a sneaky look into what lies behind this year’s Doors Open Day.
t's time to get nosy again. Doors Open Day is opening (35)
buildings. more than exer before. and (‘ilasgow‘s recently
announced programme looks to its oldest and newest for inspiration. Neil Baxter. director of Glasgow Building Preser‘.’ation lr'ust and mastermind of the L’OtM line up. is getting exerted. ‘Provenhall is an irriportant attraction on the list. but people don't know about it.' lhe lfith (:entury house lies five rnrles outside the city centre beyond [{aster‘house and rs Glasgow's oldest building. ‘l have to say to my huge shame as an absolutely passionate Glaswegian that l orin vrsrted rt a month ago and it's incredible. it's absolutely stunning. lhe building reeks of an incredibly rich history,~ he says. 'We went round and rt was a pissing wet day and we were like kiddies in a sweetie shop. We were saying we've got to get everybody in Glasgow into this building now!‘ There Will be free shuttle buses running to and from the City Chambers on DO weekend to encourage the exodus. although the building is open throughout the rest of the year.
And from the oldest to the newest. Baxter talks about the process of building as ever-refining. 'The natural tendenCy through time is fer structures to become lighter and less about stacking stone on stone. As you come up through time you effectively are refining yOur understanding of the engineering of burldings.‘ It takes us neatly to Glasgow's other extreme. the City's monument to modernity. The Matrix Bur/ding. The 73 apartment block. designed by Davis Duncan Architects wrth landscape gardener Rolf Roscher and artist Richard Wright. was created wrth prinCiples of colour and light in mind. The Matrix will open its doors for one main event as part of BLOCK — the architecture festival co- Ordinated by the Lighth0use to celebrate and explore modern Scottish architecture lW\'VW.b|OCkarC.CO.lel — bringing together the designers to discuss its creation.
Old and new lOlll perfectly in another new addition to the Doors Open Dax package — Maggie's Centre. Originally a porters lodge. the space has been transformed into a cancer care space according to the philosophy of Maggie Keswck Jencks. "It's a delight because it's a combination of JJ Burnett solid Scots baronial red sandstone.‘ says Baxter. 'Heaw Victorian with Victorian \alues. and then extended by Page and Park in a \en. light and deft Style.”
VictOrian \alues prO\ rde the Super-structure beneath Delrltor‘.
4 THE LIST so »\..g a
Doulton Fountain, Glasgow Green 1890. Maggie’s Centre (above)
FOuntarn. Glasgo world. it stands at
Greer‘i. The argesf fountain of :ts kir”: the
:Loli‘ n gh .vit? its alter pas n N easur'ig a ir'
werk in progress. 'lt's an inereoici; complex compositioc.‘ says Baxter. 'Just an‘aZing. Because of ts celcssai scale the interna’ structure is cast iron lt's nugey important tor the cit/ cf Glasgo.. - a monumental piece of Victorian grandeur — a coastfsi coect.‘ Baxter goes on to defend the presentation. of scr r‘i-fa'st n Victoriana. ‘l remember a ‘rieno of mre say cg years ago are shOuld demolish it and trample t .ctc the ground because -t symbolises all son of nasty things ke Empire and dcm cat or“. But so much that ~.enerate s about fine same things. i' .6-
always had an 188L161 .‘.’li"i Cur reliance en CCU"°f/.‘ 'TCLJSBB "is
places of xrsitcr attractor: but t'ier‘ "niece t's surf" a mad thing that buildings I)..ll', "on sweat. ’. ,i c‘ f'rr: (mafia? ‘3, "::.»’ actually becoir‘e t"~:,- panda/:5; 3‘ Z"i: r,~:,-as,ar‘fs. l ’1 .7; in,- new; one of the peasant", tr‘at iifj°._.ii‘i. suits a ’ ‘ t'i . ' i
that yeti own. or at least .'."‘at ,.o.. can .155". for one (18,. wear: but the full program‘s for asac ant: across Scot at")
.-.'.'..dcorsoper‘sa,s.erg...k and see the “Ext ss..e of T’Tf} L st for (33"‘C'C‘l70ll8l‘.€ gli‘CIE.
I 9117's Gee” 9:5,. G.'i:\g;;:.'.. Sat '«’~, 6. S," 7}; Sera- B
- . . ,. ,; Q”. r;_ :r S”,
1 Oasis
DVD Ten years on from the release of Definitely Maybe. the album that changed the 905 gets a spanking high tech refit. See Buy It This Fortnight. Big Brother/Sony.
2 My Architect Film Nathaniel Kahn's remarkable, moving homage to his father Louis, the legendary American ‘brutalist' architect, is one of the year's best feature documentaries. See feature and Film. GFT. Glasgow; Cameo, Edinburgh.
3 AL Kennedy
Books Never one to waste a word, every one counts in the Dundee- born writer's latest epic. Paradise. See Books. Jonathan Cape.
4 The Hamburg Cell
TV Director Antonia Bird and writer Ronan Bennett team up for this intriguing docudrama about the Al Qaeda pilots in the run-up to 9/11. See feature and review in Festival Film. Channel 4.
5 PURE
Clubs The legendary Pure returns to its roots for this 14th birthday bash with the residents of choice joined by Speedy J (live). Dave Tarrida and Mylo. See Clubs. Studio 24, Edinburgh.