Our Story
Red
Road Underground is the culmination of several years of
work by artists Chris Leslie and Mitch Miller in documenting the final days of
the Red Road housing scheme in Glasgow. Through photography, film and
illustration their work examines the lives of those who lived in the city's
most striking modern housing development. Based on in-depth interviews with current
and ex-residents, and exclusive access to sites now closed off to the public,
their work offers a unique take on the legacy of the flats.
Leslie
and Miller have been invited to exhibit at the recently revamped New Glasgow
Society gallery in February 2012, to coincide with the demolition of the first
two slab blocks in the same month. The show Red Road Underground will show
previously unseen material concerned primarily (but not exclusively) with the
underground leisure complexes built at Red Road. This included a massive bingo
hall and a nautically themed bar called The Brig. Both of these sites have
been closed since the 1990's.
In early 2011 they were briefly re-opened to
allow inspection by the demolition company. We tagged along and found something
not unlike a latter-day Pompeii where time suddenly came to a stop. The
exhibition will run for four weeks and will coincide with the launch of a
specially designed website, which can be viewed here - http://www.redroadunderground.co.uk/
See
Red Road through the eyes of its residents
We have spoken with a number of ex-residents for
whom the Mecca and The Brig provided much needed entertainment and escapism.
Though photography, film and illustration you can follow their stories in this exclusive and one off exhibition about Red Road and Glasgow.
Dialectograms - You can view Mitch's dialectograms in their full glory on the Red Road Underground site, but below are a few screen grabs. The full Brig Bar Dialectogram will be launched exclusively on this site in the next few weeks.
Photographs - show the underground Bingo Hall and Bar for the first time in decades since they were last closed.
The Impact
This
exhibition represents and celebrates a unique and timeless piece of history
that will form part of the legacy of the Red Road flats and for Glasgow.
No one else has documented Red Road Underground and with these unique places
due for demolition in March 2012, no one else ever will. In February therefore, we will mount a free
exhibition to share what we found there.
What We Need & What You Get
To
host this exhibition we need to get funds to cover the printing of the work and
although the gallery space is being donated for free, we do need to contribute
running costs. The New Glasgow Society is a voluntary organisation and there is
no point in having this show if we can't keep the venue open!
All contributors will be fully credited as funders and patrons of the show, and will receive an invite to a special private view of the exhibition and discussion with the artists.
Both
artists have spent many weeks giving their time freely to organise this show,
and much of the documentary work has been done free of charge. This is not
about us being paid, this is simply about being able to exhibit the work in an
unique exhibition in an ideal, accessible space.
All contributions, no matter how big or small will be rewarded by exclusive posters, photographs and films from the project - see the list on the right hand column.
Apologies for UK residents that the donations are in dollars - Indiegogo is a US company (and another example of the US ruling the world while it still can...you can link to a up to date currency converter here)
Other Ways You Can Help
Use
the share tools on this site to spread the word about funding the show. And
help us promote the show once it goes live - even if youre not in the Glasgow,
Scotland area of the world you can visit http://www.redroadunderground.co.uk and see the work there. (But
seeing the A0 prints of the photographs and illustrations in the flesh will be
very special)
