Govanhill Baths Art - Deep Breaths

Legacy by Lynn Wray

Back in October we went along to the Central Station launch event and there we heard a talk by Tom and Alex from the Govanhill Baths Art and Regeneration Group about the show they put on last year as part of the Doors Open Day 2009 (19 and 20 Sept). We always seem to be away at weddings every doors open day so were very interested to see all that we had missed.

Immediate Extract Passive Resistance by Marielle MacLeman

"Featuring 23 artists whose exhibits responded to the Baths campaign including its history, architecture and personal memories of the Baths in use. From small quiet art works tucked in corners, to large sculptures, photography and ceramics, there are thoughtful and varied responses."

Dear Sir Daniel by Lucie Potter

The exhibition also included a specially commissioned soundscape entitled; “Dear Sir Daniel”, The sound installation brought together shared and disparate histories of our baths, restoring the voices of past users within the grand dame of Calder Street as she stands today. Made possible through the involvement of local residents, the stories are translated into English, Urdu, Punjabi and Czech, creating a contemporary work for Govanhill's diverse communities. (The sound work is now available to listen to in the Centre for Community Practice.)

Mario Botta by Rebecca Lindsey

After the Central Station Presentation we got chatting with Tom who invited us along to the next group meeting. So, on the first night of snow in December, I wandered along to the Baths Trust HQ on Calder Street where I heard all about the plans for this year's show, hopefully to tie in with the Glasgow International event at the end of April. This year's show looks to be centred around music and sound with some very interesting sound artists looking to become involved and a makeshift Orchestra comprised of found object instruments performing in the main pool. I think it will make an excellent companion project to last years art event and can see something really interesting developing out of it.

(Untitled) by Nikki McWilliams

The Baths is a great cause and has rightly generated a strong passion and enthusiasm from the local area. The work that The Baths Trust, the Friends of the Baths, Nord and all others involved have put in so far to save the baths should be highly commended. The way the art works last year and the planned events for this year are developing, its really turning into an extremely interesting project and one well worth becoming involved with. For more info and to join the team send an email to art@govanhillbaths.org.