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| City Chambers |
We readied ourselves for our day of adventure with cups of tea near the station, and then we were off! Walking along George Square, we popped into the gorgeous Victorian Glasgow City Chambers to enjoy the beautiful mosaics. I have walked past the stately building many times, but it never occurred to me to step inside. I was glad Julia mentioned the beautiful mosaic work and prompted our brief visit.
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| Keeper of Light by Smug |
As we continued our walk through the city, we happened upon Keeper of Light, one of the brilliant murals by the artist Smug. I exclaimed, “Wow!” as I simply wasn’t expecting the mammoth painting. Julia and I took photos of the arresting vision in red.
We then continued on our way to see the current exhibitions at Trongate 103. Once inside the building, we encountered the moving and troubling images from Marc Davenant's Outsiders.
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| Neuk Collective Together Apart |
We made our way upstairs as we had specifically come to Glasgow to see the Neuk Collective Exhibition, Together Apart. It is a varied exhibition, with plenty of work across most media to see and experience. I especially enjoyed the interactive works. Tactile art has interested me since I created my Books series. There were loads of works in Together Apart that called for tactile investigation; sound, colour, texture and a strong sense of play tied the exhibition together. This is the second Neuk Collective exhibition I have attended in person. I always get a strong sense of the thoughtfulness and care that goes into the planning and execution to ensure the experience is inclusive and accessible for as many people as possible.
We then visited Street Level Photoworks to view Simon Phipps's Brutal Scotland: Scotland's Post-War Modernist Architecture. A brilliant photography exhibition of brutalist buildings, a style that I have only grown to appreciate in recent years.
We rounded out our visit to Trongate 103 with a quick dash through the Glasgow Print Studio’s current exhibitions, viewing Janka Malkowska's Wood Cuts and works by featured artist, Consuelo R. Servan.
I was thankful to be able to view these five very different but equally important exhibitions. Accessible spaces such as Trongate 103 that offer so many different media, expressions, and opportunities under one roof are critical and must continue to be rallied around and supported in times of crisis and in our everyday lives. We must never take them for granted. Arts venues contribute to our well-being, our humanity, and build our communities. The importance of this cannot be understated. Solidarity to all who are working so hard and fighting to keep the doors open.
After all that art, we needed some food, so we walked down the road to Mono for a simple lunch of soup and some tasty focaccia. We followed this with a quick stop by Mr Ben Retro Clothing for a wee browse.
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| Cult of St. Enoch by Smug |
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| St. Mungo by Smug |
We then headed towards the Glasgow Necropolis. I have a thing for graveyards, and thankfully, Julia likes them too. We wandered up the road towards the city of the dead, where 50,000 people are buried on the 37- acre site. As we continued walking, we came across two more of Smug’s arresting murals - Cult of St Enoch and later Saint Mungo. All three of Smug's murals were a delight to happen across as we walked. Truth be told, I am not always a fan of public art or murals, but these are special.
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| Glasgow Necropolis |
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| Glasgow Necropolis |
Before we knew it, we were walking next to the Glasgow Cathedral (unfortunately, with the cathedral spire under wraps for renovation). We crossed the bridge to the garden-like hillside Necropolis, with its winding tiers of towering monuments, colourful wrought iron mausoleum gates, and views over the city. It immediately brought to mind Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, which I visited twice during a four-day trip in 2016. I do love a cemetery! Julia and I slowly wandered up the hill, looking at the various graves. I video-called my mother to show her a few monuments, and gave her a dramatic reading of the script on the tomb of actor-manager John Henry Alexander of the Theatre Royal. I then showed her some of the ornate gates and the cathedral in the distance. Technology can be pretty wonderful at times.
Afterwards, Julia and I made our way back down the hill towards Queen Street Station and hopped on the train. We shared part of the journey back with two sleepy wedding revellers until we managed to find more private seats under a poster with a quote from a favourite Altered Images song,“I could be happy.”
We once again travelled through yellow fields and onto Waverley; another brilliant adventure in the books.
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