Festival Hub - Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival (2024)

Monday @ 13:30 & Wednesday @ 6pm

During this Painting with Nature’s Palette workshop, you will learn about natural dyes from all over the world while experimenting with nature’s palette to create new colours.

The session will involve a short introduction in which you will learn about natural dyes and how pH modifiers can be used to change colours. After this introduction, you will have the chance to put this into practice by experimenting and creating your own colour palette. Then you will use your creativity and imagination, and design your own work or do some mindful colouring all while experimenting with your unique colour palette.

By the end of this workshop, you will know more about colour theory, natural dyes and have created your own palette and artwork through experimentation

This event is in advance of a free performance of ‘A History of Glasgow in Song’ at St Lukes on 15 September.

Monday @ 6pm

Winners of the Outstanding Event of the 2022 Open Doors Festival, The Tenementals will deliver a public presentation about creating a history of Glasgow in song. This is your opportunity to speak with members of the band to hear more about how the band are blending history and music. What are their influences musically, politically, historically? What do they leave in, what do they leave out?

This event is in advance of a free performance of ‘A History of Glasgow in Song’ at St Lukes on 15 September.

Monday @ 7:30

Making Sense of the City

Using vintage photography, let Norry Wilson guide you through the forgotten sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Lost Glasgow.
From the fragrant scents of the old Fruitmarket, via the seafresh tang of the Briggait fish market, to the lactic reek of the old Cheese market, he’ll lead you by the nose through the old streets and wynds of forgotten pongs.
Pin back your ears for the rumble of iron wheels on granite setts, the chime of Medieval church bells, and the ‘song of the Clyde’ – the hammers and hooters which brought life and wealth to our once mighty river.
Sit back and dine on fine fowl with the Partick Duck Club, fill your glass with a refreshing Glasgow Punch, while the wee ones can sup on some sma’ beer.
Open your eyes to the now-vanished wonders of our city; from the Great Exhibitions to the giant lums and furnaces whose smoke and fire once set Glasgow’s night skies aglow.
Through personal stories, history books, and newspaper stories, this is a psychogoegraphy of a vanished Glasgow that will make you sense the city anew.

Tuesday @ 6pm

Tuesday @ 7:30pm

Glasgow Building Preservation Trust’s Director, David Cook, leads a panel discussion reflecting on the past and future of the city’s built heritage.

The talk includes the screening of a new film – It’ll Be Great When It’s Finished. In the 1980s, after decades of demolition, a small group of determined individuals coalesced around a desire to see our built heritage saved and repurposed. This film charts the birth of GBPT and sets it within the wider context of changing attitudes and approaches to heritage, reflecting on the distance travelled over the past forty years and what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead. Join us for a thought-provoking and lively discussion.

David will be joined by key people involved in shaping the city’s development, Raffaele Esposito (Architect, Urban Designer and City Design Manager), Paola Pasino (Principal Officer for Glasgow’s City Centre Strategy) and Gerry Grams (Architect) to discuss the film and Glasgow’s future trajectory.

Wednesday @ 6pm

You will find out about some of the places around Garnethill which are connected with Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe. Discover the fascinating hidden history of this area of the city, from hostels which housed refugee women and Kindertransport children to the refugee artists who enriched the cultural life of the city. You will learn about some of the people who came to Scotland and made their home here, and about the meeting places that were vital in supporting refugees to build new lives in Scotland.

This talk is illustrated with material from the collections of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre and is based on the ‘Garnethill Refugee Trail’ walking tour.

Join members of the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, Dr Sarah Anderson, Dr Ria Dunkley and Dr Philip Tonner, as we take a sideways look at the city through the lenses of philosophy, education and sustainability. Chaired by Dr Alan Leslie.

Wednesday @ 7:30pm & Sunday @ 3pm

Are you a homeowner concerned about the climate crisis?

Many homeowners in Glasgow want to reduce the carbon footprint, but unsure where to start. When done right, retrofitted homes are beautiful, comfortable and healthy – but getting there can be complicated, challenging, and expensive!

Loco Home Retrofit was set up to help. We are a non-profit member-owned cooperative based in Glasgow, always welcoming new members and their input. We provide independent, expert advice and support to homeowners who want to take action.

In this talk, we’ll dive into the challenges of retrofitting a city like Glasgow, as well as our community-based approach, strategy and goals. We will share real examples of homes in Glasgow that have made retrofit a reality and what you can learn from their journey.

Thursday @ 10am till 2pm

Got a question about organising a repair in your tenement flat? Under One Roof, Scotland’s only charity dedicated to supporting tenement owners, will have team members available at the Hub on Thursday 14th September between 10am – 2pm to provide free and impartial information to tenement owners about issues related to management, maintenance, and sustainability of their flat and building. No need to register, just drop in and say hello.

Free information outside of the listed times is also available by visiting Under One Roof’s website, or via their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.

Thursday @ 6pm

Join GCHT Director Niall Murphy to find out about the achievements of the Glasgow City Improvement Trust.

Over the course of the 19th Century, Glasgow suffered explosive city growth, with its population increasing from 77,000 in 1801 to 762,000 by 1901. This created problems of overcrowding, poor sanitation and population health issues, with the city’s housing conditions regarded as amongst the worst in Europe.

To combat this, in 1866 Lord Provost Blackie led a delegation including Glasgow’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr William Tennant Gairdner, and the City Architect, John Carrick to Europe to see what lessons could be learned. Having visited Amsterdam and Brussels it was Baron Haussmann’s Paris where they were most impressed by the urban innovations being introduced for Napoleon III.

Upon his return to Glasgow, Carrick drew up the City Improvement Act of 1866 with a programme of slum clearance to clear out and introduce light and air to the medieval heart of the city, making Glasgow a pioneer for municipal improvements.

Thursday @ 7:30 pm

Join artist Will Knight to hear about the process for creating his remarkable new map of Glasgow, which traces and updates Thomas Sulman’s 1864 Bird’s Eye View of the city. Find out about the inspiration for the project as well as the techniques Will used in order to create the final work – an incredibly detailed snapshot of modern day Glasgow. The talk will cover the layered construction of the artwork, each working drawing thought out and planned with a rigorous process, and a step towards the final piece.

Will studied Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, and this training has informed his approach to understanding the dynamic relationship between people and place. He has spent the last ten years observing, recording and interpreting Glasgow’s built environment – from the celebrated work of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson to the ubiquitous tiled tenement close; from some of the city’s cherished eateries to the scratch bakery and local newsagent. Every subject is explored through measurement and drawn by hand, elevating everyday buildings so that they are revealed afresh.

Friday @ 6pm

In contrast to the persistent media narrative about the ‘decline of Glasgow’, the city boasts many community-led restoration projects bringing historic buildings back into use.

Come and find out about some of the exciting projects underway, and planned, from Ailsa MacKenzie, Chief Officer of The Pyramid at Anderston, Emma Semple and Ben Spencer of The Pipe Factory, Fiona Sinclair, Conservation Architect and David Cook, Director of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust.

Saturday @ 11 am

Saturday @ 2pm

Saturday @ 11am

Would you like to try a new skill that not many people you know have ever tried? Come to this workshop and learn to sing some medieval songs – in a friendly atmosphere. You will also be able to find out about some of the least known aspects of medieval music – including tongue twisters, sung consonants and other special vocal effects.
No previous experience of medieval music, musical notation or singing necessary. Recommended for age 16+.

This workshop is part of the Explorathon festival, funded by the UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee Fund (Ref: EP/X020762/1).

Sunday @ 11am

Lego as a means of exploring reproducibility

How do researchers ensure their work is reproducible, useful and valid to the society? This interactive workshop will use everyone’s favourite construction toy – Lego! – to explore this question and more. Get hands on and join the discussion at this fun, engaging and thought-provoking event.
Recommended age 12+.
This workshop is part of the Explorathon festival, funded by the UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee Fund (Ref: EP/X020762/1).

Sunday @ 12:30pm

Sunday @ 1pm

CLIMANIA is a climate action game designed by young people as a tool for learning about the built environment. Players race rising temperatures to retrofit their property and reduce energy consumption. This game is suitable for anybody aged 14 and above – adults also welcome!

CLIMANIA by Simeon Shtebunaev and Claudia Carter at Birmingham City University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution based on their work published at https://climaniathegame.com/

Sunday @ 2pm

The Radical Wars started in Glasgow in 1787 with the first organised strike in UK history and went on until the Scottish Uprising and the Battle of Bonnymuir in 1820. The aims were political as well as economic reform.

Thousands of men and women were involved in skirmishes, anti-conscription riots and illegal strikes throughout Scotland from Aberdeenshire to Dumfries and right across the Central Belt.

Para-military armies were raised on both sides. Two castles were stormed and there was at least one massacre. 88 men were charged with high treason. There were secret trials with judges and lawyers brought up from England, resulting in hangings, beheadings and transportations to Botany Bay.

The story of the Radical Wars was suppressed at the time and is now largely forgotten. This is an important part of your own history. Come and see the images and hear the tale as told by a member of the 1820 Society.

Sunday @ 7pm