Festival Diary: Sunday 06
Women, Activism, Archive and Heritage
Sun 06 Aug, 2:00 – 6:00pm
The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale St, Glasgow G41 2PZ
Ticketed but free
Book tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/672126958827
Join our archivist Paula Larkin for a series of talks exploring women’s role in activism and the importance of archiving women’s contributions. All talks will be followed by a Q&A and there will be stalls from Govanhill Baths Archive and from the Govanhill Baths Culture Collective Women’s Writing Group. The event will be followed by a reception with refreshments, before the screening of Sitting Tight, a documentary about the Lee Jeans Sit-in in Greenock, introduced by Rhia Laing.
2:00 – 2:15pm
Govanhill Baths Archive & Heritage
Paula Larkin
2:15 – 3:45pm
Bread and Roses v Bread and Circuses: The story of the treatment of Glasgow’s Culture, Elspeth King
This session will offer a brief historical survey of Glasgow’s material culture looking at when Glasgow, capital of culture 1990 adopted the culture of capitalism. Why did Glasgow choose cultural destruction through the comprehensive redevelopment areas of 1955-1985 and why was so much lost? Is it acceptable to think of the culture purchased by William Burrell as being in any way an adequate replacement for what has been destroyed and forgotten?
Expect to see a lot of social history objects, most of which have never seen the light of day since they were consigned to storage and in some cases, to dispersal after 1990.
4:00 – 5:00pm
Sell and be damned – Stories and struggle
Anni Donaldson
Sell and be damned – the great Merrylee Housing Scandal of 1951 by Ned Donaldson and Les Forster, first published in 1992 and republished in 2022, tells the story of one of Glasgow’s most successful post-war direct action housing campaigns. This important little book has other stories to tell however. Weaving together memory and history, the personal and the political, this session by Anni Donaldson will revisit some of the Merrylee story’s sites of struggle over the last 70 years. Dr Anni Donaldson is a writer, feminist scholar, oral historian. Ned Donaldson was her Dad.
5:00 – 6:00pm
Reception
6.00 – 8.00pm
“Sitting Tight” Screening.
Sitting Tight Documentary + Q&A
Screening as part of ‘Women, Activism, Archive and Heritage’
Sun 06 Aug, 6:00 – 7:30pm
The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale St, Glasgow G41 2PZ
Ticketed but free
Book tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/672178813927
Join us for a screening of ‘Sitting Tight,’ a documentary made in 2022 to celebrate the story of the Lee Jeans Factory Sit-in. In Greenock, 1981, amid fears the Lee Jeans factory was to close, staff barricaded themselves inside whilst negotiations regarding their jobs took place. The sit-in lasted 7 months, during which time local Greenockians, as well as the wider labour and trade union communities, banded together to support the workers and their families. The documentary tells the story of the women involved, whilst also including multifaceted material created by the local community during the wider heritage project facilitated by arts charity, RIG Arts. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with researcher Rhia Laing.
portraits of POWER – an exhibition of determination and resistance
new photomontage artworks by Euan Sutherland | Multiple locations
Where does POWER lie? With you or with those in control? We are dominated by an unelected minority via media misrepresentation, an abusive police force and a cruel unjust government. We have corrupt politicians and continual malpractice alongside divisive inequalities, climate change denial, hate-mongering, profiteering and horrendous greed. Enough is enough.
Determination and resistance is building, connections are being cultivated, wee victories celebrated, but we need to help each other out continually. We can’t be divided by small differences and dogma. More cooperation less competition. We need more mutual aid and we need it NOW.
hostile ENVIRONMENTS and mutual aid NOW
Exhibition launch: Fri 04 Aug, 6:00 – 9:00pm
The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale St, Glasgow G41 2PZ
Tue 01 to Sat 12 Aug (excluding Sat 05 Aug) 12:00 – 6:00pm
strike SUPPORT on Victoria Road
Tue 01 to Sun 13 Aug
Govanhill… As I See It – Community Photography Exhibition
Tue 01 to Sun 06 Aug (excluding Sat 05 Aug)
Window display above The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale St, Glasgow G41 2PZ
‘Govanhill… As I see it!’ is a community photography project as part of Jude Mckechnie’s Govanhill Baths Culture Collective residency. Through an open call, people living and working in Govanhill were invited to sign up to take pictures which they felt captured the spirit of the area. The 19 participants were asked to take 27 photographs on a disposable camera and return it for development. The results are a wonderful display of community pride, joy and diversity! This exhibition is an alternative portrait of the area as it is seen by community members themselves.
Come by and see if you can spy yourself or your favourite places in and amongst the bunch. Maybe it might change the way you see Govanhill altogether!
Through the Looking Glass Public Exhibition, Paria Goodarzi
Tue 01 to Sun 13 Aug
Govanhill Baths Garden (opposite 126 Calder Street)
In what ways are green spaces a refuge, a reflection of society, and a gateway to contemplating space and time? Govanhill is one of the most diverse areas in Glasgow, attracting people for its unique political, economic, and cultural appeal. This installation in Govanhill Baths Garden is by Govanhill Baths Culture Collective artist Paria Goodarzi and consists of three mirrored chairs of varying sizes, incorporating materials like acrylic, wood, and tiles. Mirrors reflect our green spaces’ role as a sanctuary and as a reflection of society. Engraved words like WONDER, HOME, and WISH symbolise ways that we might explore space and time. A blue-tiled line connects the outdoors and indoors, prompting contemplation of the built environment and the world the installation inhabits and holds a mirror up to.
Yes! I Can – Pinhole Camera Trail
Tue 01 to Sun 13 Aug
Various sites around Govanhill
As part of her Culture Collective residency with Govanhill Baths, Jude Mckechnie together with local photographer Martyna Maz and researcher Anna Tudos, worked collaboratively with the Govanhill Youth Club to make pinhole cameras out of empty juice cans.
We ventured out and hung them up in various places around Govanhill and left them to work their magic. The images captured inside our little cans have been made into printed cards with a trail of where the images were taken included on the back. Find out more about the project on our website and learn how to make your very own pinhole camera at home, because yes, you can too! You can find our pinhole camera postcards in Govanhill’s various local cafes and shops and can access the route and view the results via the QR code! Plus read snippets of conversations, thoughts and stories from the young people who took part.
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Govanhill Baths
99 Calder Street, Govanhill
Glasgow G42 7RA
Office: 126 Calder Street
Glasgow G42 7QP
T: 0141 433 2999
E: info@govanhillbaths.com
