Identity Crisis

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Identity Crisis

Firm

YEAR

2010

Glasgow’s transformation from Industrial Powerhouse to Retail Capital maybe seen as an economic success yet it has come at a civic cost. The urban fabric of the city centre is nowtransformed along a pseudo continental model into a retail paradise that may ring with the sounds of café culture and al fresco dining; but it has meant the loss of areas important to the city’s collective memory. The cultural and economic shift consolidated by civic branding initiatives most significantly ‘Glasgow: Scotland with Style®’, has seen areas that no longer fit this reductive manufactured image such as Paddy’s Market (an historic 200 year old Flea Market) removed, resulting in the loss of real continuity, memory and sentiment within the city.
Absurdly however there exists a fetishisation of heritage - that celebrates a rose tinted view of the past whilst the living history is erased. Whats more the reductive branding of the city betrays the true diversity of existing and emerging identities. These factors all culminate in a very real identity crisis.
This premise formed the basis of the debate that took place at the inaugural event of the Scottish Architecture Students Assembly (SASA) on the 20th of August 2010 hosted by Pidgin Perfect.
On the day of the event after an initial group discussion at Collective Architecture the students and participants were presented with films exploring the theme of the collective urban identity memory and loss as part of the Pop Up Cinéma Matinée event. In the afternoon after a brief presentation entitled 'Identity Crisis: Brand Vs. Ethos' the students were divided into 3 workshop groups Flotsam and Jetsam, ‘Rags’ to ‘Ritches’ and Heritage Fetish. They were asked to form their own conclusions on the debate and were given the tools and encouragement to go out into the city to engage with the public and produce their own propaganda with surprising results.
The exhibition 'Identity Crisis' was a record of the days events and the work produced during the intense 3 hour period of the the inaugural SASA workshop.
The exhibition took place at The Barras Centre which sits within The Barras area of Glasgows East End, it ran for one week and was attened by local traders, members of the public and local artists and architects.