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Maggie’s Centre, Dundee by Frank Gehry
Around Town
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THE BEST EVENTS, TALKS AND SPORT
=l= Glasgow Art Fair Save yourself the hassle of trudging round lots of galleries — 50 of the blighters are descending on George Square. Do you really want the same stuff as the rest of your street hanging above your fireplace? No! So add a piece of art to your weekend shopping list. George Square, Glasgow, Thu 28 April-Mon 2 May.
* Pure Murder There's been a mur-dur! Explore Glasgow’s criminal past and learn about modern forensic science by joining this tour through some of the city's most infamous sites. Part of the Ottakar’s Crime in the City festival. Ottakar's Bookstore, Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow, Sat 16 April. 3|: After Hours: “no Poets - Torn Leonard and Douglas Dunn The two poets who feature in the exhibition Twelve Poets read from their own poems as well as favourite words from the other poets on display. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Thu 21 April.
3|: Wrestlemanla Grown men writhing about. beating the living daylights out of each while other wearing spandex? What could be more fun that that? Nothing. See caption. Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Fn‘ 22 April.
Too grand designs?
To pose, or not to pose — what is best for our cities? Tim Abrahams thrashes out the arguments in advance of a debate between leading archictects on iconic buildings.
t seems like a pretty straightforward argument. You are either for them or against. These are the buildings that. by dint of their original shape or a
noyel cladding. such as titanium. become signatures of
the cities in which they stand. If you wish to see these buildings built. then you stress the way in yyhich the building creates art enticing image for the community around which it stands.
You stress the draw of tourism and foreign inyestment which such a building brings. If you are against them. you point out the cost and the irreley'ance such a contriyed symbol has for a proportion of the city‘s inhabitants. ltnagine Sydney yyitltotlt the Opera House. say the supporters of the icon. Imagine London without the Dome say the detractors.
And yet the Icon Debate organised by l’rrrypt't‘i. the leading maga/ine for architecture in Scotland and the north of lingland. is clearly feeding into a fierce and complex debate yyithin the profession and one which has particular resonance here. The two tnain speakers at this debate. the architecture critics Miles (ilendinning and (‘harles Jencks. haye both recently published on the relationship of the Scottish Parliament to the ongoing debate on iconic buildings. The Last [run by (ilendinning and Iconic Building: The Power (ill-jiiigmu
by Charles Jencks both proyide a searching analysis of
why contemporary architectural design is polarised between these [\y‘o positions.
Writing about the Scottish Parliament. Jencks said: ‘This building explores new territory for Scottish
identity and for architecture. It creates an iconology of
references to nature and locale. Using complex messages as a substitute for the one-liner.‘ Although Glendinning wonders whether. 'ln an all-poyyerful market. cart such flowery metaphors be anything more
than tip-market adyertising slogans'.".
Although the Scottish Parliament dominates the debate in Scotland. l’enny l.e\yis. editor of l’im/ieti. suggests that beyond it. the icon will alyyays be a problematic issue. look at the argument that .\li|es (ilendinning has been making since his influential book ('lnm' ('iiit's. that the ability to pttt simple. ordinary dyyellings together in a sophisticated way is the most important part of Scotland's rich urban heritage. :\nd it's not just the iteo classical Neyy Tour] of lidinburgh and the centre of (ilasgoyy. but that also goes for a \yltole series of post? \yar architecture. yyhich yy ere concerned yery much \\llll the social aspect of architecture] she say s.
Scotland too suffers from the case of haying famous architects parachuted in to produce signature buildings. \Vhile local architects are left [ll tlcslglt ltigll tlcllsity ltotising. celebrity architects such as [aha lladid yyin competitions to design e.\citing one-off buildings such as the (ilasgoyy Riycrside .\ltiseum. l'rank (ieltry's Mill—'i—‘ie's ('entre has also receiy ed local criticism. "l‘here is a certain amount of bitterness in the profession about shoyyy architecturef says Leyy is.
This subject then is far from straiglttforyyard. (’hristophe ligret of ligret West. and former director in Will Alsop's office leading projects such as the New lslington inasterplair in Manchester and "fire ('loud‘ in l.iyerpool and :\U\[lll Williams. the controyersial architectural commentator and technical editor of the A] will support or counter (ilendinning and Jencks' arguments. The purpose of the debate. hoyy ey er. is to hear as many \oices as possible.
The Icon Debate, Thu 21 April, 6pm, Britannia Panoptican, Trongate, Glasgow. For bookings contact Nicola-Maria Forrest on 0141 352 4665
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