Latest news with #ChristopherBowen
Glasgow Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Pictures show how new plan for Glasgow's O2 ABC will look
However, locals have called the plan 'detrimental', saying it will 'wipe out' views of historic buildings. The plan, submitted by Vita Group, the site owners, shows a mixed-use student accommodation and hospitality site. A concerned local, Christopher Bowen, has created a render of the plans to show how the proposed development would look. Heritage organisations have criticised the plan, saying it will 'overshadow everything on the street'. The site has recently been branded an 'eyesore' by locals (Image: Colin Mearns) READ MORE: Here's what could replace Glasgow's O2 ABC as plan submitted Chair of The Alexander Thomson Society, Dominic d'Angelo, said: "The current proposal is substantially larger in height and therefore in volume than the proposal that was rejected eight years ago by the council on the grounds that it was too big." "The new proposal completely overshadows the historic buildings in the area. "The size of the building right next door to Alexander Greek Thomson's Grecian Chambers, which are currently largely occupied by the Centre for Contemporary Arts, is a big concern. "It also completely hides the back of the Mackintosh School of Art, which is currently visible, even though shrouded in scaffolding, from the south." Over eight floors - including a basement - House of Social would include student accommodation, as well as a food hall, a public courtyard, a bar, a gym and more. Pictures show how new plan for Glasgow's O2 ABC will look (Image: Christopher Bowen) A new guide launched by Glasgow City Council this week has identified areas in Glasgow suitable for skyscraper development. The Tall Buildings Design Guide outlines regions like Charing Cross, Anderston Quay, Trongate, and Cowcaddens as potential sites for taller structures. READ MORE: Historic Glasgow venue is an 'eyesore' say furious locals The O2 ABC site is outside of these areas, and while the plan doesn't qualify as a skyscraper, Dominic says the proposed height is too high. He said: "The council risks completely breaking up the scale of buildings along Sauchiehall Street. "Building huge blocks of buildings in the middle of the street actually just starts to overshadow everything on the street frontage. "The proposal that was rejected eight years ago by the council on the grounds that it was too big." (Image: Christopher Bowen) "It's inappropriate to the nature of the street, and it's overscaled. It's unnecessarily large and detrimental to the overall impact of the street. "Shops don't like operating in darkness, people won't want to sit on the new benches and areas that have had so much money spent on them if they're always in the shadows. "It also wipes out any view from the south of the School of Art, meaning that views from, say, Blythswood Square, looking north across the city past the School of art, would be lost." READ MORE: I was given a tour of Sauchiehall Street by the council team who redesigned it The proposal includes a 'back garden' between the new building and the School of Art, but Dominic, who lives across the street, says this isn't a replacement for obscuring the view. He said: "Visitors would stand at basement level and look, craning their necks up to the back of the building, which was never intended by Mackintosh to be seen from that vista. "It's false to claim that it's a cultural advantage. It would make much more sense if any viewing platform were at a higher level so they could appreciate the upper reaches." The O2 ABC in Sauchiehall Street when it was still open (Image: Archive) The Glasgow Times previously reported that locals branded the historic Glasgow music venue an 'eyesore'. The half-demolished O2 ABC site has been dormant for months after initial demolition works were completed at the end of last year.
Glasgow Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow School of Art lecturer to launch book and exhibition
Fiona Robertson, a lecturer in the painting and printmaking department since the late 1990s, has encapsulated her experiences in a book of drawings titled INSIDE JOB: Memories of an Art School. Some of these drawings have been reworked for an exhibition at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock. (Image: Christopher Bowen) The book features 100 drawings that fictionalise her memories, describing her experience of teaching fine art and exploring the dual role of artist and teacher. It also reflects on life at the art school, the impact of the two devastating fires in 2014 and 2018, and the Covid pandemic of 2020. Ms Robertson said: "I have been at the Glasgow School of Art for 28 years. (Image: Christopher Bowen) "It is a fantastic privilege to teach there. It is an exciting place to learn and to meet people from all over the world. "The last 10 years have been difficult. The fires had a huge impact. "We perhaps didn't understand what we had in the Mac building until it was gone. 'It was an amazing building. It had a huge sense of tradition. Almost a presence in itself." (Image: Christopher Bowen) She will launch her book and give guests a walkthrough of her exhibition at a free event at the Beacon at 11am on Wednesday, May 28. Tickets for the talk and exhibition are free, but can be pre-booked here. Her show expands on the work in her book, using painting and printmaking to explore materiality and impressions of memories and dreams. Ms Robertson added: "It is exciting for me to have a show of painting. "Many of the works are reworkings of my drawings in the book, but translated into a different medium. "It is more expressive and colourful and imaginative, compared to the graphic and linear nature of the drawings." The Beacon, which was recently awarded multi-year funding from Creative Scotland to support its work, has an annual programme of visual arts exhibitions. The programme is overseen by guest curator Fraser Taylor, who is an honorary professor at the Glasgow School of Art and was previously visiting artist and adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mr Taylor said: "We are delighted to bring Fiona's work to the Beacon. "Fiona's work promises to inspire and delight audiences – and we are all looking forward to hearing her take on life as a teacher and artist at the GSA."
