Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Just what do you do with those pesky old Public Art Commissions?

Cross Ingram again!.
Down Albion, turn left into Bell Street, there is a lane I must visit!


At Tontine Lane

I cross over Bell Street, I`m heading for Tontine Lane. Its entrance sits below a red sandstone tenement jammed between old victorian office buildings, its an old part of town.
Tontine Lane cuts straight down to Trongate, but I`m not going there on this trip. The objects of my desire loom large and small before me.
Both originally hail from Brunswick Lane, 4 streets west of Tontine Lane.
The larger is a neon sign artwork, with the legend in capitals “EMPIRE”. It sort of evokes bygone art-deco times, but! the letters are in reverse on both sides. This is not an old piece, it was installed late 20th early 21st century, can`t remember date. The cunning artist has confused us. On its original site high up on the side of my old bank, it looked as if it been relocated there from an old demolished Cinema or Playhouse. Passing by it just hanging there, I assume, was meant to confuse our senses, and make us question the ability ot the artisan responsible for putting it up the wrong way round, until we realise that it can only be put up the way it is seen.It is a little one word, one act play attempting to make merry hell with our senses.
Th smaller is another neon, this time not an art work, but none the less a memory of an Iconic Glasgow Pub. Its the old Mitre Bar neon sign, it`s been amputated from the body of its pub, which is soon to join the spirits of the other pubs which are now sadly gone from the block between Brunswick and Candleriggs. I will list them in order of their demise.

The Hangmans Rest
Granny Blacks
The Riggs Bar
The Mitre Bar (still standing, just.)

May their memory linger. I drank in them all, especially, the Mitre

The Mitre closed quietly, which suprised me, considering the wealth and breadth of people who drank there, but I suppose by then we were all blown in the winds.
It was probably Glasgow`s smallest old pub, and had almost all of its original interior intact, it also has a Glasgow building listing.

Why is it going? you ask!
Well stupid, don`t you know that Glasgow desperately needs a Selfridges Department store, designed by a internationl signature architect.
His name is Toyo Ito and he hails from Japan. I like his work, I am sure he`s a great bloke, but I bet you any money that if the esteemed leaders of The Tartan Army decided to build a Bus Park in the courtyard of Himeji Castle , he`d be the first to don the crash helmet and dig up the cobble stones.

So here`s a challenge Toyo Ito, we`ll no build the Bus park, if you develop a historical moral concience and incorporate the fabric of the Mitre into your Selfridges development.
Here are some suggestions.

Build it into a glasscube and use it as a window display for scarves, lingerie etc.
Incorporate it into a tea room.
Keep it as a bar, and give all those international shoppers that are going to flock to Candleriggs, a taste of Real Glasgow.
Result = A great new new building for Glasgow, and a seriously enhanced reputation for yourself amongst Glasgow`s drinkers.

I throw down the gauntlet to you Toyo Ito, are you man enough to pick it up!!!!1

In the words of Looney Tunes "That all folks" ...... for tonight anyway.

It only took about 40 minutes to get from the Bank to Bills and back to the Studio, and this is taking for ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Tontine Lane