Making Space
Making Space: Archive Hour
If you have been to Glasgow Women’s Library you will know that it is a treasure trove of historical, literary, feminist artefacts, and more. Last autumn we had the monstrous task of cleaning and clearing out the library (an ongoing task, I might add), and made some peculiar discoveries. Lurking in the depths of the archives were sealed jars of water, a bag full of clip-on earrings, handbags, musical instruments, curtains, old socks, and a giant inflatable snowman. It just reminded me that GWL is like no other library, and all the better for it.
The Big Tidy
When Nicky Bird, artist-in-residence, came to GWL, she was instantly drawn to the archives. She spent some time with Hannah and the archive volunteers, observing their processes – opening boxes, cataloguing, wrapping, and re-boxing. She became aware of a rhythm in their work: the repeated sounds of paper being folded, cardboard boxes being slashed open and sealed shut. The more time Nicky spent in the space, the more she noticed that there was something unique about the GWL archives – the noise! There is a constant hum of walking, multi-lingual talking, boxes dragging, doors slamming, phones ringing, buzzer buzzing…
When Nicky asked me to help her with her new project – creating a sound archive – I could not wait to start experimenting. In phase one, we practised recording sounds close-up, including paper folding, badge making, water dripping, and the lift. It was interesting to hear how alien these very familiar sounds became when taken out of context; especially the lift, which sounded like some raging mechanical monster lurching after you.
As Nicky is in Australia for a month, she asked me to continue the recordings for her. We decided on set days and times in which to place the Marantz recording device somewhere within the archives and set it to record for an hour at a time. When she returns, Nicky will have hours of material to experiment with, and I cannot wait to see (or hear) what happens next.
If you have been in the library recently, you may have noticed some information posters about the project. If not, here are the details:
MAKING SPACE: ARCHIVE HOUR
We know that the Glasgow Women’s Library is a unique place with a special atmosphere made by the women who work and learn here. Throughout February we want to try to capture this atmosphere by making sound recordings of the library. This poster will tell you when and where the recordings will take place, and also tell you more about what is involved.
When?
The recordings may take place on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays between 10-11 in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon. Look out for a notice that says “Recording in Progress.”
Do I have to keep quiet?
No: Carry on as normal. If you use your mobile phone when the “Recording in Progress” sign is up, go into the kitchen where you won’t get recorded. Any mobile phone call that is accidentally recorded will be cut from the recording.
Will my voice be identified?
No: As the recording machine is in the archive. If anyone’s voice does come out clearly on the recording, we will ask your permission to keep it in the recording. It will be easy to remove from the recording.
Can I say no to the recording?
Yes: Of course. We don’t want to stop anyone enjoying the library. See Nisha and she will turn the recorder off.
What will the recordings be used for?
The Making Space Project – One of the artists, Nicky Bird, is working with staff and volunteers to create a sound archive of the library. Extracts of the Sound Archive will be played first to the Making Space Focus Group to help decide what happens to the recordings next.
*** What sounds do you notice in GWL? If you could sum up GWL in a sound or object, what would it be? ***
If you would like any more information about this project or Making Space in general, please leave a comment below or phone us on 0141 552 8345.
‘Travelling the Distance’ and the Scottish Parliament
After a few weeks of revising plans, pleading emails, panicked phone calls, the Making Space focus group and the Political Literacy group made it to Holyrood…
Travelling the Distance
The aim of the day was to see ‘Travelling the Distance’, an artwork by Shauna McMullan, one of our two wonderful artists-in-residence. It is made up of 3 large slabs of porcelain, inscribed with 100 quotations about inspiring women. Shauna travelled up and down Scotland gathering the quotations, and getting to know the women who wrote them; ‘Travelling the Distance’ takes us on the journey with her. Celebrating stateswomen, artists, workers, activists, teachers, mothers, sisters, friends, it reminds us of the women who have inspired our own lives.
The quotations are inscribed in the handwriting of their various authors. Looking at the sculpture, you feel an intimate connection to the women writing, and the women written about. However disparate the women are, however distinct their stories and achievements, they are all connected within the artwork. Shauna has created a lineage of Scottish women; although she had to stop for practical reasons, the tree of connections does not end with the artwork. It is an open house, no woman is unworthy of inclusion, we are all written in the inscribed words.
Travelling the Distance
I think most of us who have seen the artwork or read it in book format will have a favourite line, that seems to speak directly to us, that sticks in our thoughts. I can still hear Jean Girdwood (GWL media representative) roaring with laughter as she read aloud the quotation: “I’m really very nice inside; it’s just the presentation that’s gone wrong!” It is not my favourite line in the book, but it is now imprinted in my memory, connecting ‘Travelling the Distance’ to a woman I know, to a time, to a place.
The Blue Spine project
Shauna is particularly interested in mapping, and the forthcoming ‘Blue Spine’ project – commissioned by Glasgow Women’s Library – will create a new map of women in Scotland, through a collection of books categorised according to Shauna’s own system. You are invited to participate in this artwork by contributing a book (which will be returned) that meets two requirements: that it has a blue spine; that it is written by a woman. If you are interested in taking part, or would like more information, please email shauna.mcmullan[at]womenslibrary.org.uk or contact the Library.
Blue Spine
Thank You
Thanks to Syma and the Political Literacy ladies, who very kindly allowed us to share their visit (and their bus). Thanks to Laura’s uncle, who booked us a beautiful Committee Room to hold our discussions of ‘Travelling the Distance’ and Shauna’s new ‘Blue Spine’ project. Thanks to the Visitor Services team, who gave us a customised tour of the Parliament – an ark of a building, filled with open spaces and intricate nooks; flushed with light and astonishing views of nature and art; flecked with details and architectural riddles (controversies aside, I loved the mish-mash approach!). Thanks to the Scotland on Sunday for our mention. Thanks to Shauna, Nicky, and Fiona, and to all of the women who attended, who made it such an enjoyable and memorable day!
Say Cheese!
Introducing Making Space
Did you know there are only 3 statues of women in Glasgow? Find out what GWL is doing to address this imbalance, and how we are contributing to the exciting world of public art, by getting involved with the Making Space project.
Towards a new public artwork for Glasgow
Where are all the statues of women in Scotland? Why are there no street-names commemorating great Scottish heroines? Why are the landmarks of women’s achievements ‘invisible’ in our civic landscape?
Funding from the Scottish Arts Council’s Public Art Fund has enabled the appointment of three new team members to GWL to begin work on the Making Space project, inspired by Glasgow Women’s Library’s planned move to the prestigious Mitchell Library. The team comprises internationally renowned artistsNicky Bird and Shauna McMullan, and Project Co-ordinator and Adviser Fiona Dean.
Over the next 6 months Nicki, Shauna and Fiona will be working with work with Library users and learners, as well as volunteers and staff, to research the possibilities of a new public artwork.
We would love to know what you think about our Making Space project. Please give us your comments here and across the site, or can contact us by phone or email. This project is by, for, and about women in Scotland, so we need you to get involved!
More information in the Making Space Press Release
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