CULTURE + CRISIS VOLUME #3/3 | NEXUS
architectural do2 unit 2 - culture + crisis
cover ingleby gallery
NEXUS New cultural venues not only invigorate the local scene but also act as an indicator of a city’s cultural vitality. Cities now compete for the discerning visitor and new galleries and arts venues can help to foster the exchange of ideas between aspiring practitioners and a burgeoning arts elite. Edinburgh is fortunate to have an extensive range of established galleries ranging from small commercial operations to major public institutions. Some may be historic retro-fits (for example, the Talbot Rice used to be a medical demonstration theatre in the 18th century) or converted structures such as the Printmakers which was originally a municipal wash house.
florencedonaldson + mariettagalazka edinburghprintmakers
+ zoerigg
andrewgillespie + siobhano’boyle + millietenant ingleby galleryhelen lucas architects
+ heidiwakefield
koukoitamura + suemacaulay + murdomcdermid + willwebber the scottish national portrait gallerypage\park
grahamblack
+ paulkenny + wynnemcleish + georgesinclair
inspace laboratoryreiach and hall architects
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Edinburgh Printmakers
EDINBURGH PRINTMAKERS
“There is nothing quite like the smell of ink, the creative aura of the workshop and that wonderful moment when the paper lifts off the plate to reveal a new print”
The site of number 23 Union Street was once a former ‘steamie’ otherwise known as a public wash house. It was built in 1930 and is a rarity to find, of this once common building type. The ‘steamie’ is now home to the Edinburgh Printmakers who were established in 1967 and is Britain’s first open access studio and the only one in existence in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh printmakers aim is to support resident and visiting artists and expand the art of print making. It is a unique set-up combining a printer’s workshop/studio and a gallery space, where prints are displayed. The studio caters from novice to experienced printers providing them with facilities to do screen printing, etching, digital printing, reliefs and lithography.Their creations are able to be displayed in the gallery spaces above when member’s shows are exhibited. This is unique feature of the Printmakers where visitors to the galleries are able to see where some of the prints on sale are created. It provides an accessibility to art and the creative process with the gallery participating in the own art scheme which allows people to pay for prints in instalments. Courses and membership easily available it allows accessibility to art and the creative process which is virtually non-existent in other gallery spaces. This aspect of creating art where art is displayed is what the printmakers feel define them saying in their ‘visitor guide’ Although the Printmakers do not work in collaboration with any galleries in The florence donaldson
| marietta galazka | zoe rigg
Edinburgh it is in close proximity to other galleries in the area; with of block of three think Inc, superclub and whitespace on the street behind on Gayfiled Square and the most notable being the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. There is one main entrance to the Printmakers in Edinburgh, which is used by the staff, visitors and studio workers. The back exit is only used for fire escape. main hall is spacious in comparison to the gallery spaces. Once in the main hall, the room distribution is clear to the visitors, with signs clearly indicating where the gallery spaces are located. The layout is simple and clearly indicated with a staff
presence at the entrance of the building where their reception desk is sited. The toilets located next to the entrance hall are used not only by staff and visitors, but also by the studio staff, allowing integration between the visitors and the working environment. It is clear from the entrance hall where visitors should (travel), either to the right where the permanent exhibition/shop is based or upstairs to the other gallery spaces. The partition wall reduces the passage to the studio space from the public. The permanent gallery space is integrated with the shop’s space through the large archway entrance, which defines two different functions of the space. It also allows large
Edinburgh Printmakers entrance hall
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Permanent exhibition Temporary exhibition Workshop
Entry hall
Office Toilets Office Ground floor
glimpses of work from the entrance hall. However, the permanent exhibition space can also be easily misunderstood for the shop due to this circulation layout.When visiting the printmakers, we interviewed two members of staff, they seemed to have differing opinions on the use of the downstairs space. One referred to it as the ‘permanent gallery’ where as the other called the space the ‘shop’. The permanent gallery space is not large, therefore the space doesn’t accommodate many people at one time. The staircase leading from the entrance hall into the gallery space curves by 180 degrees and is quite thin, causing some
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First floor
uneasy manoeuvres with larger prints. The doorway coming from the staircase into the gallery spaces is even smaller than the stair’s width, with another turning 90 degrees. The spacious galleries upstairs cover temporary exhibitions, flowing from one room to another. The toilets and further office rooms are hidden and located through the doors along the biggest gallery space.The door to these spaces is integrated within the wall as so to not disturb the flow of the spaces.The gallery houses a sofa and a table at one of the corners as so to not interrupt the space but allowing the visitor a space to think about the exhibited works. As the temporary
galleries are located above the workshop, shop and street level, the spaces seem quiet and relaxing, bringing all the focus into the prints.The temporary exhibition space is also used as a lecture room for up to 40 people, housing a projector, presenting the slides on the white walls. Printmakers do not have any lifts;therefore there is no design for universal access. The permanent exhibition is located at the ground floor, which allows access for all but for those unable to use stairs there is no opportunity to view the temporary prints. The studio itself is also located at the ground floor, allowing disabled people
florence donaldson
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Italia gallery
to take part of the studio’s workshop activities. There is a lift between the basement storage area and the studio, which would be an advantage for the disabled people or for carrying large amounts of prints, only if it was working properly. After interviewing Vanessa Boyd, an administrator at the Edinburgh Printmakers, she notified us about the lift being broken for the past few years. The deliveries do not use the back door,but the main entrance and the disturbance this may cause may not be very pleasing for the gallery visitors. The reduced passageway by the wall in the main entrance hall
florence donaldson
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may create some problems with larger packages or if any of the printing machines have to be replaced. Placing the delivery vans in front of the facade may also be uninviting for people for approaching the building,as well as blocking the entry point. The main storage space is located in the basement area, which is only accessed through the studio space, making the delivery circulate between unnecessary spaces.The fact the basement is accessed through the studio space is convenient solution to keep the working environment and the public domain separate. However the indirect storage spaces are not very
convenient.The permanent gallery houses a large storage space,however mainly used for the shop’s needs and to store finished prints for the permanent exhibition. The gallery upstairs does not have any storage spaces, meaning all works needed to be circulated into the basement area. The building although not built for the purpose of an art gallery and studio has lent itself well to accommodate the needs of the printmakers with the large hall at the rear of the building housing the printer’s studio. It has provided a setting for a successful integration between the three key areas in the printmakers. The
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Workshop
studio and permanent gallery or shop space are located on the ground floor leading up to the main space for visitors on the first floor with the temporary exhibit. Although there is usually no correlation between the permanent and temporary exhibits, other than the fact they both exhibit prints they are tied together with the studio space. On the ground floor the constant flow of artists in and out of the studio with on the first floor the window view that looks down to the studio space. This viewing window is one of the integral features of the gallery it provides a context for the prints on display being able to have a glimpse to the
Workshop roof 5
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Workshop window
studio space where prints are created. As it exhibits and produces prints it provides a unique setting for the prints on display and to those who use the studio as there is an ease of transition between the production and display. This integration does have its drawbacks as visitors often ask to view the studio space but are unable to do so due to health and safety and disruption to the printmakers working. From the conversation had with Vanessa Boyd who is one of the administrators in the Printmakers commented on the quality of lighting in the spaces.The lighting on the first floor performs well and they
receive good feedback from the artists who display their work in the space. On the first floor the spaces are more versatile than they appear; the current exhibition by Kirsty Whiten for example is all artificially lit by track lighting, with minimal natural day light coming through the window that looks down onto the studio space. The advantage of having all artificial light from the galleries view point is that the light quality is constant so the prints have a consistent look throughout the day whereas with the natural daylight is not as easy to control. However, the set up of the gallery spaces for Whiten’s exhibition windows are covered up, the
Lighting in temporary gallery
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Workshop open day
walls are able to move to allow natural lighting into them. This limits the space that the prints are able to be displayed on but will allow natural light to come into gallery 2. Due to the nature of the existing ‘steamie’ currently there is no top lighting to the galleries; this type of natural lighting would be preferred as it will allow light in without having to compromise on wall space. However in gallery 1 which is the permanent exhibition they rely primarily on natural daylight so is in contrast to the spaces upstairs.The gallery spaces are typical of many galleries with plain white painted walls allows for reflection of light. They have kept the majority of the existing
materials intact with the brick chimney being one of the striking features from the entrance. In the entrance and gallery one the ceramic tiles on the floor of the old ‘steamie’ are intact and are carried through to the studio space. The studio has all the original features of the old wash house including the steel trusses. These trusses enhance the atmosphere of the studio giving it a separation from the gallery spaces. They give the space an industrial feel, whereas the studios on the first floor have wooden flooring instead of the ceramic of the studio.
Workshop equipment
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The Printmakers is the only place in Edinburgh that do a set of workshop courses lasting from one to six days. The attendants are not only the people who are printing fans, but also the people who visited the Printmakers and enjoyed the exhibitions. The window between the gallery spaces and the studio workshop allows the visitors to grasp an idea of how the prints are done before they decide to undertake any courses.The workshops are quite popular, and some of the courses need to be booked few months in advance. The Printmakers is widely visited by various high schools and Universities, mainly from Edinburgh. The workshop
Workshop equipment
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Bibliography Interview: Vanessa Boyd, Printmakers Administrator Anonymous, Receptionist Websites: http://www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk/ http://www. oliverchapmanarchitects. com/ Chapman’s renovation
is closed to the public view, the visits inside can be arranged and it is possible to view the workers in action during the open days which the Printmakers host once every year. In order to achieve an even greater publicity, the institution organises many workshops for children.
a cafe, enhancing the public experience of the building.Although the spaces function well the new improvements proposed will allow for a better overall visitor experience allowing for a better integration of spaces.
Although overall the staff is happy with how the spaces work for them the director is always looking for ways in which improvements can be made. Oliver Chapman architects have proposals for the improvement of the space mainly the buildings circulation routes. They plan to make a small number of interventions on the site in order to maximise the space that is already available to the printmakers. A key intervention is the proposal of extending the public spaces into the basement as it is currently home to storage spaces, offices and area’s for staff. The renovation project involves an addition of the new lift, making it easier to transport heavy materials between the levels, as well as allowing disabled people an easy access between the gallery spaces. The insertion of the basement staircase into the entrance hall and the workshop allows an easy access for both, the studio workers and the visitors, experiencing the same space, but from different room ends. Currently the large basement area is only used as storage, and the permanent gallery space is very small,therefore Oliver Chapman Architects transforms those spaces into two further gallery spaces and florence donaldson
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INGLEBY GALLERY HELEN LUCAS ARCHITECTS
“Ingleby is certainly more institution than gallery...”
The Ingleby Gallery is the vision of Florence and Richard Ingleby, who founded the gallery in 1998. Originally, the gallery occupied two rooms on the ground floor of the Ingleby’s home; a Georgian town house on Carlton Terrace. In 2008 they relocated to the current location on Calton Road, at the foot of Calton Hill and to the north of Waverley Station. This move was deemed necessary in order to house the increasing collection of artworks owned by the couple. It is now the largest private contemporary art space outside of London, thanks to its generous 6000 square feet of floor space. The gallery shows between four and six shows annually, with work by artists who are both Scottish and internationally based. The gallery seeks out specific artists to whom it would like to offer representation. It represents about 15 internationally renowned artists, including the late Ian Hamilton Finlay, Callum Innes and Alison Watt..
“We’ve outgrown that space in every sense and direction.” In the ten years that the gallery was based at the couple’s Carlton Terrace residence, it gained a reputation for modern shows that subtly manipulated the minimal space in which they were installed. The work shown was by a mixture of emerging and established artists. According to the Scotsman, the couple exhibited “cutting-edge, international art in a pared-down and intimate domestic setting”. The move to the Calton Road was andrew gillespie
a continuation of this endeavour, on a larger scale. Florence Ingleby stated at the time, “We’ve outgrown that space in every sense and direction.” The new Ingleby Gallery is set over three floors with all windows facing southwest towards Waverley Train Station. The back wall of the building is engrossed by Calton Hill and the site is a result of chipping back into the rock. The building is entered on ground level, which houses the reception, the secondary gallery, a small office and a shop-like area, where smaller works from the Ingleby’s print collection are exhibited.This area also serves as a means for bigger works to enter the building via large floor to ceiling doors. They are then hoisted either to the storage room in the basement, or to the main gallery on the first floor by a purpose built pulley system, complete with trap doors. Stairs along the back wall ascend to to an elegant minimum, in order to be both easily maintained and to avoid restricting the main gallery and descend to offices and storage in the basement. The oak handrail here is finely detailed, recessed into the walls.
the artwork. The stud walls have a simple plasterboard finish, which can be painted, nailed or pinned into, and easily replaced. A shadow gap at the foot of the boards allows ease of construction and deconstruction and also frames the work in the space.The flooring throughout is oak paneling, with under-flooring heat to avoid obtrusive radiators.
“Private galleries can be intimidating places and we’ve tried very, very hard to avoid that…You can wander out of the station and just pop in on your way past.” The space is altered primarily by changing the wall colour, or adjusting the levels of natural light using blinds. For Alison Watt’s show, the walls were painted grey and the blinds were drawn. The current sculptural work by Roger Ackling is set against bright, white walls, with the blinds fully open to admit high levels of
The main gallery space maintains the atmosphere of the previous gallery. All fittings and decoration are kept
| siobhan o’boyle | emillie tenant | heidi wakefield
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‘Hiding in Full View’ Alison Watt 2011
sunlight that interacts differently with the installations through the day. The basement level is home to two connecting offices and additional storage. This includes a large storage room for artworks that is accessible from all levels using the pulley system. A large factor for the move was the demand for increased storage space, although according to Andrew Innes, this problem seems not to have been solved.The basement is private to most visitors, although it also provides an area for serious customers to view and buy works, away from the public galleries upstairs. The gallery relies on regular custom and works hard to maintain relationships with the tightly knit art scene. Though it feels hidden away, in reality the gallery is easily accessible and available to a
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‘Mystics or Rationalists’ 2011
large number of passers-by.The Edinburgh arts festival is an annual opportunity for the gallery to widen its audience to the large number of visitors that flock to the city. Often this will be the time when an artist with a high profile internationally will be exhibited. The gallery also holds free events in order to entice a wider audience inside. For example, there is a monthly film club, where exhibited artists select a film to show, which brings in additional visitors. These events aim break down the barrier of elitism associate with galleries of this kind. Florence Ingleby states, “Private galleries can be intimidating places and we’ve tried very, very hard to avoid that…You can wander out of the station and just pop in on your way past.” The building itself is also designed to avoid the feeling of intimidation within. Cameras are installed on every level as a necessity of security, but this also gives the gallery a
relaxed and open feel.The viewer is allowed an unobtrusive view of the artwork in the space, without a security guard watching.
“The first-floor space is so surprising, basically because of the quality of the light coming from the south and west. It’s this weird combination of being at the grimy back door of Waverley station, but with these glimpses of overblown period architecture.” The Ingleby Gallery has no formal connections with any other galleries in Edinburgh. However, it does benefit from its proximity to the Fruitmarket Gallery (at the foot of the Fleshmarket steps), the City Arts Centre
andrew gillespie
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Winston Roeth 2011
Roger Ackling 2012
(across the road from the Fruitmarket) and the now-closed Doggerfisher Gallery at Gayfield Square. All these galleries tend to show similar kinds of work, and so without formal agreement, attract the public to enjoy all four. The gallery is intrinsically linked with the city itself. As well as the roster of artists exhibited in the gallery itself, the Ingleby Gallery also uses an external billboard to engage directly with the city. Renowned artists, such as Rachel Whiteread and Tacita Dean, are commissioned to produce a large advertisement-style print to be displayed on the side of the building. This gives the private institution another way of engaging with the public. Ultimately the gallery’s role is to sell artwork; this funds the entire project. However, the Ingleby is constantly balancing its role as a private, commercial institution, with the desire to bring in people simply to enjoy art.
andrew gillespie
| siobhan o’boyle | emillie tenant | heidi wakefield
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Firstsite Gallery, Colchester 2011
Bibliography Websites: www.wallpaper.com www.ingleby-gallery.co.uk www.scotsman.com www.helenlucas.co.uk www.edinburghfestival. list.co.uk
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THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY PAGE\PARK
“a true urban building rather than isolated set piece.”
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distinctive landmark on Edinburgh’s Queen Street, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a grand, neo-gothic building in red sandstone. The world’s first purposebuilt portrait gallery which resembles more of an ecclesiastical building than a museum. The north- and east-facing facades feature an elaborate scheme of decorative sculptures. Poets, monarchs and statesmen watch over Queen Street and North St . Andrew Street, while William Wallace and Robert the Bruce guard the entrance. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is home to Scotland’s national collection of portraits and currently also houses the National Photography Collection. Its origins can be traced to one enthusiastic collector, the mildly eccentric David, 11th Earl of Buchan. His collection of portraits of famous Scots, assembled in the late eighteenth century, formed the foundation of the national portrait collection in its first conception.
buildings in Scotland. Rowand Anderson created a modern purpose-designed art gallery to rival the most advanced at the time in Europe and America. At the same time, he wanted his building to be a shrine for Scotland’s heroes. The extensive decoration scheme, both external and internal, was designed with this idea in mind and is now an essential part of the visitor’s experience. Over the years new facilities such as a shop and café were added in a piecemeal fashion, and the galleries rearranged and remodelled, generally reducing the clarity of the layout of the building, and often the ceiling height, as well as blocking off many windows. The
building was shared with the National Museum of Antiquities, now the Museum of Scotland, until they moved to a new building in 2009, at which point the long-planned refurbishment of the Portrait Gallery could begin. Following its £17.6m overhaul by Page\Park Architects provided the opportunity for a new approach to how the collection would be shown and what to include in the displays. Portraits are most simply defined as recognisable representations of individuals but they have now extended their understanding of this to include depictions of specific places and events, allowing the gallery to include the landscapes of Scotland to enrich the overall picture. A
Despite widespread enthusiasm, however, the government of the day was reluctant to commit funds to the project. Instead, it was the philanthropy of a local newspaper owner that allowed the present Gallery to open its doors to the public in 1889. John Ritchie Findlay, the chief proprietor of The Scotsman employed the architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, who had previously won the competition for designing the Edinburgh Medical Schools and who later earned a wide reputation for the restoration of ecclesiastical kuoko itamara
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Drawing of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery as originally constructed
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dramatic increase in space (an additional 250 linear metres) has also allowed us to increase the number of works on show to a massive 850. To this day, the Gallery continues to collect works that are portraits of Scots, though not necessarily made by Scots. It aims to add portraits of those missing in the collection, as well as to bring the collection up to date. Since 1982 there has been a policy of commissioning portraits of living Scots by contemporary artists. Page + Park sensitive approach to the project achieved a united gallery across the whole building for the first time in its 100 year history.
The Portrait Gallery is an old friend made young again Circulation solutions allowed horizontal and vertical movement throughout the building to overcome the limitations of the existing entrance layout. The interior of the cultural institution has been dramatically reconfigured with 60% more display space by opening up previously inaccessible parts of the building. To outline a few key characteristics of the refurbished space Page\Park worked to enhance accessibility, renovate features of the old building and drew attention to the creation of a sequence of top lit galleries. Accessibility in front of the main entrance was enhanced by deepening the sidewalk and inserting a new ramp to the front door which Page conceived as a “smile on the face of the façade.” “Its new urban setting along the street is no longer awkward and unwelcoming. These new features make it a true urban 17
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building rather than isolated set piece.” The lobby has been reconfigured as an arcade along the ground floor. This has allowed the Great Hall to remain free as the emblematic space as well as the main source of light for photographic collection and relocated library. This arrangement gives the visitor the option of flowing around the building without forcing them into one specific place. The new axis along the front of the building connects the entry, shop, café and education areas improving circulation for visitors, as well as providing an open and airy view along the entire length of the building. These spaces are also connected by a new mezzanine office level above with an education suite, a seminar room and studio space.This new administrative level allows for uppler gallery floors to maximize display space. In addition, the Gallery’s café and shop has doubled in size. A new elevator links the contemporary gallery to the upper floors and doubles as a painting and sculpture lift.
new insulation and sophisticated controls to permit slow changes over wider ranges of temperature and humidity. The newly regulated atmosphere of the gallery spaces use 42 percent less energy that previously. Electric sliding blinds at the top of the main gallery’s regulate the use of light throughout the day so that there is never direct light on the painting themselves but a constant hue of light for the room. The lighting system has been switched to cutting-edge, lowenergy LEDs which combine regular light with excellent colour rendering qualities. The refurbishment has restored many of the building’s original features, which had been hidden behind an accumulation of twentiethcentury interventions, while incorporating essential modern services. Electric service was painstakingly weaved throughout the building’s masonry structure so that the insertion of modern technical elements did
Page \ Park added a range of new features that has transformed a visitors’ experience of the Gallery. The ground and first floors feature the modern collection whilst the classic collections are on the top floor. Flexibility in the galleries design allows for alternative collection arrangements in the future. The large glass elevator enables this process The refurbished Gallery spaces have made use of a number of pioneering techniques to achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption. Using the mass of the building, kuoko itamara
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Present day building exterior after page\park rennovation
not visually compromise the architecture. The building stretches out symmetrically on either side of the Main Hall, and its three floors are used for a mixture of permanent and temporary displays. For the first hundred years of its existence, the Gallery shared its space with a number of learned societies.After the last of these had left, the Gallery went through a major overhaul from 2009-2011. The recent renovation of the building by architects Page\Park had two purposes. The first was to restore the building to how Anderson originally intended it to look and function.This was done by removing false walls and lowered ceilings, opening up windows and revealing hidden Victorian details, like the elegant stone arcade in the Ramsay Room. Most dramatic of all has been the restoration of the great coved ceilings on the upper floors on the west side of the Gallery. The other key objective was to introduce services that the Gallery has hitherto lacked. A great glass lift now rises through the building providing an enticing way of access to each of the three principal floors. Spaces for education have been provided, a new gallery specially earmarked for photography has been created and the Gallery now boasts a decent size café – all these look both contemporary and totally at home within the Victorian building. The founder of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1780), David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan,formed a collection of Scottish portraits in the late 18th century, much of which is now in the museum. In the 19th century, the Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle was among those kuoko itamara
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calling for a Scottish equivalent of the very successful National Portrait Gallery, London, established in 1856, but the government in London refused to fund the venture. Eventually John Ritchie Findlay stepped in and paid for the entire building, costing £50,000. An important but lonely challenge had come earlier with Rowand Anderson’s VenetianFrench gothic national portrait gallery(1885). paid for by the owner of the Scotsman with the encouragement of Lord Bute,this was a belated acknowledgement of the force of Ruskin’s diatribe against the city’s confirmed classicism.
A smile on the face of the façade Although the old building fabric was well maintained, some renovation was done to the external façade, with the stonework and windows restored and refined to a higher quality. While internally, the traditional, existing Antiquaries Library space, the top-lit east gallery space and the whole of the middle floor east gallery space was transformed into a more engaging public space. Additionally, in the interior space,
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Ground floor exterior
some parts that were worn off in the finishes, especially in the disused area of the original Museum spaces and floors were renovated in regards to fire safety issues and for longterm use. Moreover, careful consideration was sought out for the protection of the Collections from fire and water, and also with an aim to create a more adaptable and flexible space, which was more appropriate for a gallery, to meet the constantly changing demands and needs of gallery spaces. The main issue of renovation was the replacement of old and inappropriate plant and the installation of modern services suitable for the new national art gallery. All the services including the glass lift within the building were implemented in a sensible, considerate manner alongside the old existing building fabric and the newly inserted exposed steel beams. Furthermore, for the restoration of the
Render showing the ‘Introductory Gallery’ on the ground level
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Render showing new Mezzanine level and glass elevator shaft from ground level
building, temporary partitions, lowered ceilings and window blockings were removed to allow the function of robust spaces as they were originally planned. The top lit galleries on the east upper floor were fixed back to the original configuration. Moreover, the whole renovation scheme, which took over two years to complete, allowed an uninterrupted view throughout the building,and created a more accessible spaces for the public gallery spaces on three floors, showcasing both the Galleries’ permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Lastly, there were three approaches that Page\Park could have taken for the overall renovation and conservation scheme.
New Mezzanine level and glass elevator shaft from ground level 19
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There are, as of follows; firstly, there was the pastiche approach in which the original baronial gothic style would purely be imitated and some original parts retained. Secondly, a contrast could be made, set by the example of the National Museum of Scotland, in which the old and the new building Thirdly, an aim to engaging with the spirit of the original architecture and implementing a new modern approach to it. Considering the renovation as a whole it could be said that Page\Park actually took elements from all these approaches to deal with what is a very significant building which required a sensitive approach.
Top level gallery space showing natural top lighting and electronic blinds
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INSPACE LABORATORY REIACH + HALL ARCHITECTS
“The interesting thing about Inspace is that it is not a gallery, but a laboratory.”
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nspace is a public engagement facility conceived through a collaborative partnership between New Media Scotland and the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics. This space is regarded as a laboratory, not a gallery, although it can be used in this manner. Its main purpose is to investigate the cultural magnitude of informatics and new media practice. Inspace is located on the ground floor of the new Informatics School at Potterow, designed by Bennetts Associates and opened in 2008. Reiach and Hall Architects designed the actual space itself as an independent project. The rectangular white space has the flexibility to cater to all forms of new media and has the ability to be transformed into a gallery, cinema, workshop, as well as lecture spaces. With it becoming the official venue in hosting a wide range of the city’s festivals (such as Edinburgh’s International science, art and film festivals) several of the manifestos Inspace strive for have been achieved. With aims such as increasing public edification and awareness of modern technologies and the roles they play within society Inspace was conceived in the hope of creating a responsive resource for inquiries into and exploration and presentation of digital culture. It has become an outlet of focus for the public, from visitors to researchers, who all have equal liberty to be involved in the ongoing and diverse range of projects Inspace exhibits. Inspace wants to educate people about their current research methods, in particular
graham black
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Inspace is on the ground floor of the new University Informatics building
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smart spaces, responsive environments and interactions concerning informatics and other disciplines from arts to social sciences. Informatics is the investigative work towards exploring the diverse ways in which all forms of information is transferred and transformed. Dedicated to finding out how humans interact with boundaries new technology sets, the public laboratory of Inspace allows behavioral studies and research to be easily attained. With new media and informatics ever evolving, this laboratory and its technology are unique not only to Edinburgh but Scotland too. Much of the equipment Inspace houses is toured around the country to help spread awareness and education amongst the population. This equipment enables Inspace to provide a more accessible route into digital media for the general public. Anyone is able to use the space, which emphasizes their aims of lowering the pre-conceived boundaries we have of art – that it is only for the affluent and highly educated. As well as being an experimental lab, Inspace is also an extension of the School of Informatics. The faculty’s students use the space for their projects, research and observations. The department, which encompasses artificial intelligence, cognitive science and computer science, says it aims to enable technological advances through gaining a better understanding of “informational phenomena” such as computation, cognition and communication. The laboratory is designed to help further this 23
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understanding. As such the space had to offer the flexibility needed to accommodate the wide-ranging uses various research projects demanded. Furthermore the department required a system that it could adapt, add to and which above all was open enough for them to use it to a high technical level. The 300 meter square rectangular white box upholds a ceiling entirely dictated by lights and runners for the diverse range of projector equipment housed here. Highly sensitive to its programme as a laboratory, it maintains a clinical ambiance with a white and neutral interior throughout (standardized 600x600
ceramic floor panels, with bare concrete support columns and finished white walls). The large, ceiling height, shop front windows run the full length of the east side of the space and act as a lucid connection between the outside public and the visitors within. This creates an invitation to entice people to view the current devices and exhibitions on display on either side of the glass. In past exhibitions, projections from within have even spilled out onto the pavement and street side from these windows, involving those outside in the artwork and media contained and thus removing the fixed restraints of the small space.
‘Inspace was created as an agile resource for the research, exploration and presentation of digital culture.’ The services cube rules a third of the floor space and therefore divides Inspace into an L-shape. This first came as a disadvantage for Inspace when moving in, however, it has been an adjustment they have had to overcome, as mandatory services such as the toilets and kitchenette are essential for the space to work as a public realm and manage open exhibitions. Another disadvantage would be the diminutive wall space, with the largest span being only a temporary fixture at the back of the building; the Inspace laboratory does not cater well to traditionalist gallery requirements. It is, however, very flexible in the fact that it can provide for a variety of different new medias and performances such graham black
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‘Stitch’ Inspace’s fashion exhibitions
Examples of Inspace’s 48 hour programmes and projector technology
vas dance, music and video mapping. This advantage allows any kind of student, as well as the public of all ages, to interact with the space and does not inhibit those not in art institutes. With built-in steps to provide seating for an audience during performances and a universal access lift to cater for wheelchair users, the space is very conscious of not discriminating against anyone from viewing and experiencing the work that is regularly carried out.
‘We welcome and invite collaborative projects that occupy a tighter timeframe than our core programmes.’
The Laboratory also collaborates with many of its neighbouring galleries and universities. Inspace has aided the ECA annual end of term fashion show in terms of digital media and lighting for several years. Many exhibitions Inspace house are fashion related, one such as “Stitch Lounge”, a fashion exhibition and interaction show that allows all talents in the media to partake in workshops put on throughout a weekend, with their end results being displayed in a fashion show on the last day. The master plan for the Informatics building’s empty courtyard site directly in front shows that it is hoped to later create an add-on for ECA’s fashion and graphics department in order to broaden the public
Invitation card for ‘Afterwords’ 2000
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awareness and allow a variety of interests to flow within the university campus. Inspace also cooperates with Talbot Rice, which is renowned for its traditionalist gallery programme; with this collaboration it allows fluidity between the ages of preconceived art and the modern technology of today. Inspace takes a hands on approach, being more of an experimental lab than a traditional gallery. Through dialogue and exchange a series of experiments, talks and performances unfold. Unlike traditionalist galleries, they purposely do not plan their core programmes more than twelve months in advance, which helps them to keep up with the pace of technological change and new media practice and allows them
Inspace’s ‘shop-front’ windows allow public to view the current exhibitions
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Series of shots from ‘One Hundred and Eleven’ 2007
flexibility to be spontaneous in their output and research. With each transient seasonal quarter, a theme is picked with a second open call for an outside party to collaborate with the initial scheme. This produces fresh material and interactive experiences, enabling a blended mix between diverse arts to develop. “Inspace was created as an agile resource for the research, exploration and presentation of digital culture. We welcome and invite collaborative projects that occupy a tighter timeframe than our core programmes. We’re interested in taking technology, audiences and our expertise in new and dynamic directions… this is what we call our 48 hours programme.” The core programme is developed in collaboration with partners such as the
Dialogues Festival and Edinburgh Neuroscience. Dialogues ran its first festival in 1999 to fill an aching gap in Edinburgh’s experimental music scene. Each year, the festival continues to address that gap with performances by local, national and international experimental musicians. From September 2009 to August 2010, Dialogues celebrated its 10th Anniversary with ten concerts at Inspace. Late Lab, an event that runs throughout the Edinburgh International Science Festival, transforms Inspace into a creative, social and participatory space for adults where they can make, do and interact with art, science and technology. “Come to Late Lab to continue your Festival conversations and enjoy our evening events and activities.You can meet other festival-goers and speakers, take part in genuine experiments and get hands-on with some fascinating stuff.” On top of this, Inspace continue to run their regular events including Atmosphere, The Stitch Lounge, Electric Bookshop and Dialogues and there will be special Science Festival offerings complementing this season’s research into faith and magic.
Found ‘Cybraphone’ 2009 25
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The touring of exhibits or ‘devices’, as curator Mark Daniels calls them, around the country are fundamental to Inspace’s manifesto in spreading public awareness and education of informatics and new media. The band, or ‘Arts collective’, Found are renowned for
their experimental soundscapes which dabble with robotics, music and interaction as the forefront of their work. They currently use the laboratory to conduct their successful research and put on regular performances for the public to enjoy. With two albums and numerous singles released in their short life of two years, Found’s fame is predominantly down to their “autonomous emotional robot band” called Cybraphon, which is still on exhibition in the Edinburgh laboratory.
We’re interested in taking technology, audiences and our expertise in new and dynamic directions.’ Funded by the Alt-w Production Award, which is administered by New Media Scotland, this device was inspired by the mechanical bands of the early 19th Century and is an interactive band-in-a-box. It consists of robotic instruments, machinery, junk shop items, and over 60 robotic components, all in a large display cabinet and acts as a traditional band. It is image conscious and displays emotions, and in turn these emotions are reflected in the performance. Cybraphon develops these emotions using the online community opinion (this is from Google,Twitter, Facebook, youtube, vimeo, flickr, myspace and its own website. It searches itself online every 15 seconds and reacts to positive and negative comments, reviews, and postings about itself. Just as if a lead singer googled themselves to find everyone was being negative their performance may suffer, Cybraphon’s does as
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well. The emotion meter is a 100 year old galvanometer, and the instruments are ‘played’ using a combination of bellows, robotic servos, fans,pumps,solenoids,and motors.The infrared sensor detects the number of people watching as nerves also play a part in the emotions. Good reviews are only short term and if this popularity doesn’t continue to increase then cybraphon will become disillusioned and so the positive impact on the music will diminish. It was unveiled at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2009, and has since featured in a number of national newspapers across the globe. Wired.com listed it as their top story on their homepage and it has featured on national and international TV. CNN and the BBC have covered it, including a slot on
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the primetime arts programme ‘The Culture Show’. Cybraphon has also been recognised with awards, winning the BAFTA in the Best Interactive category in November 2009. With worldwide publicity, through exhibits such as this, and their own Facebook and web page, the laboratory’s exposure is widely spread and does not inhibit anyone outside of Edinburgh learning about Inspace’s causes. The devices they invent and create may be pieces of art but the art is not the intention of the pieces.The pieces are learning experiments. They are to aid the designers and developers in their aim of furthering the boundaries of artificial intelligence. Inspace is not a traditionalist gallery but a laboratory, instead of housing permanent exhibitions; it thrives on temporary and collaborative experiments
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throughout the evanescent quarters of the year, with some only lasting 48 hours.With only 300 square meters space to play with, the success of lies in Inspace devoting itself to educating not only its visitors but the public outwith its walls. It does this through touring devices, such as Cybraphone promoting, nationwide, New Media Scotland’s manifestos. It successfully works within its small constraints and caters to all ages and disabilities. Sensitively designed by Reiach and Hall it fits its required programme of being the epicenter of public awareness and expression of informatics in Edinburgh.
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Bibliography Interview: Taken with Inspace Curator Mark Daniels Pictures: Supplied by listed websites below
Websites: http://cybraphon.com/live/ cybraphon-returns-toinspace/ http://www.ed.ac.uk/ schools-departments/ informatics/outreach/ inspace http://www. edinburghfestivals.co.uk/ venues/inspace-inspace http://www. edinburghneuroscience. ed.ac.uk/ publicengagement/ Inspace/ https://www. facebook.com/pages/ Inspace/75878662283 http://foundtheband.com/ http://www.list.co.uk/ place/26317-inspace/ http://www.mediascot.org http://www.sciencefestival. co.uk/whats-on/venues/ inspace http://www.theskinny. co.uk/venue/8405-inspace
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2012 the university of edinburgh