Govanhill Baths ART

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Govanhill Baths ART is a group of Govanhill based artists, designers, local residents and organisations with an interest in the arts. They have come together to support the work of the Govanhill Baths Community Trust. The group’s first major project is the exhibition ‘Deep Breaths’, a group show responding to and exhibited in the Baths.

 

"Artists have worked to select and to articulate; to contradict and to celebrate; to memorialise and to embellish; to reinforce; to historicise; to invent; to explore; and to reveal. They have worked at every scale from the monumental to the intimate. They have occupied every corner and run the fingerprints of their consideration over every surface. As visitors, we can vicariously feel the artists' attention, their thoughtfulness and their decision-making. We might even feel that their care has become an act of love for the building they have chosen to work within, or that Deep Breaths is, in fact, less an exhibition than a series of gifts" Extract from the introduction to the catalogue by Ruth Barker.

Govanhill Baths ART

Centre for Community Practice, 

126 Calder Street, Govanhill

art@govanhillbaths.com

www.govanhillbaths.com

 

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    • Allison Gibbs

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    • April

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Latest Videos

    • set up

    • Setting up for a live musickal performance at Host 09, Market Gallery.A Particularly Practical Particle. Time lapse to show the ridiculous amount of equipment that I used to make suck nonsensical sound scapel echo splatters. A loop pedel was used to loop up, live a whole load of live gear and a microphone was used to record random sounds from even randomer objects. It weren't pretty. Unfortunately this is the only documentation that I have of the event. Some photos are floating about int he etherweb. No recording was made, which on hindsight although pretty annoying, is probably a good thing.
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Latest images

    • govanhill baths #2

    • Untitled

    • Carbolic soap carvings.

    • "Untitled (Wooly)" [Detail]

    • Detail of "Untitled (Wooly)" installed at Govanhill baths' Slipperbaths area.

    • Installation View

    • "Untitled (Wooly)" and "Untitled (Clean)" [2009]

    • "Untitled (Wooly)[detail]

    • Wooly Breaks detail, Acrylic and Felt (2009)

    • Installation View- Exhibition at Govanhill Baths

    • Installation view of my exhibition at the "Deep Breaths" exhibition at Govanhill baths.  Left to Right: "Untitled (Wooly)", Reclaimed Wool, Rope and Dolly Pegs; "An Ode to a Glasgow Corporation Public Bath" Poetry by Brian McWilliams Screen printed onto 100% Cotton; "Untitled (Clean)" Carbolic Soap, Pine shelving [All work 2009]

    • "Untitled (Clean)"

    • Carbolic Soap sculpted letters, installed at Govanhill Baths for the Deep Breaths Exhibition, September 2009. Carbolic Soap, Pine Shelving; 2009

    • Carbolic Soap [detail]

    • Carbolic Soap hand-carved into letters from my Dad's poem, "An Ode to a Glasgow Corporation Public Bath"; Carbolic Soap; 2009

    • Waiting for the Next Part

    • Becky Campbell‘Waiting for the Next Part’Card, double-sided tape and powderLocated next to the main poolThroughout my work surfaces are built-up, becoming fur-like and inviting; contradictions and connections are made; structures are repeated and odd images hover under familiarity.  I seek to produce works that are objects in their own right that are then placed in a space to form an odd relation to context, changing as they respond to the nature of their surrounding environments.For Govanhill Baths I have made a full-size towel constructed from white paper.  Here the towels cannot achieve their function since there is no water, or indeed swimmers; yet they wait beside the pool, optimistically awaiting use when the Baths re-open.  Their hand-made fragility belies a sturdy resilience and optimism that is also expressed by those involved in the regeneration project.

    • Peeling fall

    • Malcolm Dobson‘Peeling fall’Porcelain, nylon threadLocated in the shower area in main poolI came to ceramics comparatively late, having trained and worked as a librarian.I developed my knowledge of ceramics through reading, practice, workshops run by the Scottish Potters Association and while working as an assistant to Annabelle Meikle in Aberfoyle. In 2003 I applied and was accepted into the first group of students to study ceramics at the Glasgow School of Art through the part-time, distance learning course. I graduated with a BA in 2009.Since then my work has been much more sculptural, and is informed by my fascination with, and love of, architecture and townscape, including industrial and commercial buildings and the signs of decay in spaces that are no longer in use.The work I have made for the Govanhill Baths ‘Deep Breaths’ exhibition is a response to the peeling white paint in many of the spaces, for me one of the most arresting and beautiful features of the building. It work uses curled and twisted strips of porcelain suspended to form a curtain across the width of the shower area in the main pool, referring to the peeling paint, light reflected from ripples of water, and the streams of water in the showers.

    • Committed to Helping Communities

    • Pamela May Doherty‘Committed to Helping Communities’Black & white digital printsLocated in the gym‘local facilities are a valuable resource and can be a long-term asset to the whole community’ www.glasgow.gov.ukAs the 2014 Commonwealth Games approach, Glasgow City Council continues to emphasise its commitment for improving public health as well as bettering access to local sporting and community facilities for all. However these objectives are perhaps difficult for the people of Govanhill to believe as they watch their local, historic, swimming pool slowly fall into decline. This work documents the ongoing gradual decay of this historic building with accompanying text taken from Glasgow City Council discussing their positive attitude towards Glasgow’s current community facilities and future. As a recent graduate from the Glasgow School of Art, Pamela has continued her study into using photography with accompanying texts as an investigative and documental way of studying the often darker side of the city of Glasgow.

    • Void for compassion

    • Hazel Donaldson‘Void for compassion’Pvc, plastic, metalLocated in the small poolThrough this opportunity to be involved with the Govanhill Baths Open Day, I have been motivated to encourage a notion of compassion for the future life of the building, the joy it gave to participants, previous to its closure, and enjoyment that will exist there again when re-opened. This vast building and its facilities, along with its physical position in society and socially engaging nature, has the potential for an enriching and energetic effect on the lives of people in the local community, as well as on visitors from further afield.This artwork is a fragmented vision of the pool being full of water and accessible to the public again. The fabric’s intention is to imitate the familiar nature of the water at a swimming pool, reflecting the surrounding environment in a distorted movement of shapes and colour. By using semi-transparent fabric and a pattern influenced by studies of moving water surface, I have tried to simulate the reflective water surface of an active pool.Through an imitation of the surface reflection, I have concentrated on fusing the above building structure into the body of the originally water-filled basin. The colour ripples and swirls over the surface of the water reflecting the above structure. The red beams are visually dynamic and vibrant in the space and physically very strong, projecting permanence. My focus on this element of the building also emphasises the strengths the reopening of the building and its facilities will have, in creating a grounding and positive environment for social engagement in the community.

    • Our Kind Multiplies

    • Vicki Fleck‘Our Kind Multiplies’ ClayLocated in the two offices to the right of the reception areaThe title “Our Kind Multiplies” refers to the procreant power of plant and fungal life.  I often reference plants in my work, I like that they do not respect boundaries and will muscle in, intruding, popping up (and down) where conditions suit. Vegetable growth is evident throughout Govanhill Baths: the ferns fanning out of the cracks in the tiles; the ivy lowering itself in through broken windows; and fungi erupting in the pervading moisture. Given time, if left alone, the building would transform into a morass of pullulating buds reaching out and in, yearning for the light, and fungal swellings thickening in dark corners, feeding on the decay. 

    • Waiting

    • Christine Gibson‘Waiting’Stone, metal, paintLocated in the reception areaCalder Street Baths, along with Pollok Estate, were a big part of my childhood. On sunny days you went to the park & when it rained you went swimming. This piece represents the gateposts at the main entrance to the baths as I remember them, covered in coin-marks. The very coins that were exchanged for a rubber wristband and 45 minutes in the pool.

    • Kuriositaetenkabinett

    • Olivia Gurtler‘Times aim high’Mixed media on paper, 42x59cm‘Kuriositaetenkabinett’ Mixed media on paper, 42x59cm  Located in the officeOn show at the Govanhill Baths Doors Open Day are two new works on paper. These works are reflections on past times gone sour, on the present screams of the community and on possible bubbles of hope. The physical aspects of image creation are explored. Water plays an important part in the creation of these new works, from the liquid refreshing our eyes to the murky water in the pond in which the paper was once floating. The works on paper carry other similarities with the Baths. The Baths’ peeling paint and patches of moss created by dampness are similar to the signs of decay indicated in these new works. Anticipating the paper’s decay these works are hung on newspaper holders of the German newspaper ‘Die Zeit’ (The Times). A state of pause in the form of hypnogogic vision or ‘closed eyed vision’ is the conceptual and visual starting point. Opposing techniques, materials, ideas and attempts create visuals of intense highs and lows. Eventually the struggle between black and white will compromise in a peaceful sea of grey dust. But before this happens, hope is not given up that one day we can refresh our tired looking eyes by diving into the Govanhill pools.

    • ‘Untitled’

    • Anne Gray       ‘Untitled’Newspaper, wire mesh, waste cardLocated in the training poolBorn in Cheshire and came to live in Glasgow in 1957, attended GSA from 1976 -1981.When I first saw the interior of Govanhill Baths it was the fabric of the building, or rather the effect upon it of abandonment since the closure in 2001, that was so fascinating.  Less appalled than delighted by the delicacy of peeling paint and the ferns that had seeded themselves with love and such good taste around the bases of the pillars, it seemed, nevertheless, counter to the spirit of this occasion to make a statement about the beauty of decay rather than to condemn the decision that had brought it about.  So I thought instead about the abandonment of the people who had filled this well-loved and well-used building and the effects of that decision for them.The two small figures by the beginners’ pool fashioned from waste and looking a bit left -behind, are maybe just waiting for the new pool.

    • Changing Rooms

    • Danielle Heath‘Changing Rooms’Inkjet prints on pearl paper with mixed plastic and aluminium frames.Located in the corridor between reception and small pool.I am a lens-based artist and I use people as living sculptures within photographs. My artworks often involve images based on wordplay and a deconstruction of common beliefs. I am also interested in the materiality of photography and this exhibition has been an excellent opportunity to investigate this.For the baths, I have attempted to create a relationship between my photographs and the old photographs that already reside in several different locations on the site. The work is a set of three images, all displayed coming loose from their frames and forming different shapes so that the images become sculptural and reminiscent of ageing posters.The content of the images is informed by research I am currently undertaking into Victorian admiration for antiquity. I have explored the origin of baths - a public temple of healing brought to you by the local council - and worked through themes such as spiritual healing contrasted with the physical repair of the baths.  There is juxtaposition between the real sculptural presence of the piece and the current state of lost utility at the baths. This artwork attempts to communicate themes of past utility as well as offering a ritualized optimism of the future-reconstructed “temple”.

    • Mario Botta

    • Rebecca Lindsay‘Mario Botta’Wood, aluminium, steelLocated in the main poolRebecca graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone in 2008 in Fine Art. She currently lives and works in Glasgow, with her practice currently focussed on drawing and sculpture. She recently exhibited in her first solo show at the Meffan in Forfar, and will be completing a group residency and exhibition in the Ganghut Project Space at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in October.A fascination with engineering, building methods and the aesthetics of industrial and post-war architecture provides Lindsay with the basis for her drawn and sculptural practice. Intertwined with this architectural research are investigations that delve into history and mythology, the present climate and continuing modernity.It is a practice that visualises the interaction between human movement and posture with the surrounding built environment, working with specific sites for installation and issues addressing regeneration and sustainability of the built environment.The post-modern lines of the figure and its industrial style, present growth and regeneration for the future, looking to encourage development and inspiration for those who occupy the space.

    • Water, Water, Everywhere?

    • Katie Lowery‘Water, Water, Everywhere?’Card, paint and mirrorsLocated in the steamie   My work suspends water splashes in time - symbolic of this building both past and present. It is intended to link the activities of generations who have used the baths, with its current state of disrepair and unwelcome leaks. The mirrored tiles make the splashes appear to go through the floor, mimicking the effect of movement, action, and depth, both physical and metaphorical. Square tiles are a predominant material used throughout the building. Thus my use of square tiles is employed to bind the work to the very fabric, character and history of this particular space. Katie Lowery graduated with an MFA in Drawing and Painting from Edinburgh College of Art in 2003.

    • Journey: the baths and beyond?

    • Susan MacAskill‘Journey: the baths and beyond?’Mixed media and found objectsLocated in the reception areaJourney to the BathsThe piece is inspired by memories of being taken to the Baths, specifically in school groups. The focus is on a ‘crocodile’ of children hurrying towards the impressive doors and the feeling of excitement simmering below the more formal and orderly constrictions. The ‘children’ are based on found objects and made in the ways of our youth. There are differing characteristics reflecting diverse origins, but the common purpose is signified by the rolled up towels under their arms. This is then linked to the concept of exciting futures and journeys, inspired by opportunities for new experiences such as the baths – in effect embarking on a ‘yellow brick road’.

    • Baths Photography

    • Iain McLean www.iainmclean.com ‘Baths 1 - Baths 6’A3 mounted photographsLocated in the steamieI am a freelance photographer based in the south side of Glasgow.These pictures are the result of a recent visit to the Govanhill Baths and while editing the pictures I had in mind the re-birth of the building. I picked these 6 pictures as they convey to me the feeling of life, and maybe life after death? There are 2 of slowly advancing plants, 2 of recent human occupation in the form of old posters on the walls and 2 of recent human activity during our visit. Hopefully they give an optimistic feeling for the future of this great building.

Comments

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  • April has more photos of Deep Breaths Exhibition in the Baths here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaleidoscopic/sets/72157622299021781/
    Govanhill Baths ART, 1 day ago| Flag
  • The Govanhill Baths ART [Art & Regeneration Team] will be uploading images of the recent exhibition 'Deep Breaths' here soon. We have invited the participating artists to sign up and join in.
    tom warren, 6 months ago| Flag
  • Watch a video of the recent open doors day at the baths. Exhibition images of 'Deep Breaths' to feature here soon.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVxUrggfCRI&feature=youtube_gdata
    tom warren, 6 months ago| Flag

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