ARTISTS have been inspired by many things over the centuries but Cat Downing might well be the first to claim a block of flats.
Now the Gartcosh designer is staging her debut exhibition INSIDE her favourite high rise.
“It sounds daft to say I have a favourite block of flats but I just love the Woodside high rises,” she laughs.
“I love the design, and the colour - the sunshine yellow against the Glasgow sky.”
Cat is not the only one – bosses at Queen’s Cross Housing Association, which owns the buildings, were over the moon when they heard of her interest.
CEO Shona Stephen explains: “I love Cat’s work and already had one of her prints of Cedar flats in my office.
“When we carried out the improvement works to the flats, we designed in specific spaces to display pieces of art on each landing by the lifts and within the foyer.
“The fact that these spaces are now being used to host works of art in which the flats themselves are the subject matter, is a fantastic bonus.”
Cat’s exhibition, Flying High – which will be staged in the lobby of the Woodside flats on September 9 and 10, from 11am until 4pm – grew out of a college project.
“I’m in my third year at Glasgow Kelvin College and for our class project, we could pick any subject we liked,” she explains.
“I had photographed these flats on the very first day at college, and I’ve loved them ever since, so I contacted Queen’s Cross and asked them if I could come back.
“They loved the idea, asked me to do the exhibition, and here I am – I can’t quite believe it. I’m so excited about it.
She smiles: “The lobby of a block of flats is not necessarily very glamorous, nor is it a traditional space for an art exhibition but I love it.
“High rises are amazing – they are like vertical streets, a community in the sky. In the past, they have had bad press, but there are so many stories held in these buildings, so many lives that have been lived here and I find that fascinating.
“This is my love letter to the Glasgow high rises.”
The artworks include photos, paintings, digital designs, chalk, lino cuts and sculpture. Cat has captured everything from the grand design of the whole building, to intricate details, like the button panel inside the lift.
“I was really amazed by the retro typeface on the lift buttons – it was like, in the middle of this really modern building, a wee nod to the past,” she says.
“I liked the patterns too, in the lines and shapes of the building, inside and out.”
The Woodside high flats, which mark the entrance to the city’s west end from the M8 motorway, won a prestigious UK architecture award for their energy-efficient refurbishment.
The buildings won an Architects’ Journal Retrofit Award in the housing category, beating more than 80 entries from across Britain.
“When Cat contacted us it was a really positive endorsement of the work to the flats and our area - we were delighted she saw the potential and the significance of an exhibition within the flats themselves,” says Shona.
“Public art is an integral part of our regeneration approach. Over the years we have had a range of artists working in our communities with projects linking to local history, from the canal and iron foundries to the legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh whose iconic church is in the centre of our area. This has involved partnerships with the University of Glasgow, Glasgow School of Art and Creative Scotland.”
Shona believes the exhibition will be a great boost for residents and the local community.
“Covid has impacted us all and we have spent less time in shared spaces with each other exploring common interests,” she says.
“On a very simple level, this is a way to cheer people up by sharing some wonderful images. It also reaffirms the view that the flats are striking and impressive to those looking at them as well as great homes for those living in them.”
She added: “In addition, we are developing an art strategy for Queens Cross and this exhibition is a great way to begin to involve people in the idea of art and its place in communities and hopefully spark the interest of other potential exhibitors and kick start future exhibitions.”
Cat is delighted to be the first artist to exhibit in a high rise.
She moved to Glasgow with her partner Andrew and daughter, Anna, four years ago. She runs Paints Pylons and her works, which include colourful, quirky takes on architecture all over Glasgow and beyond, are in great demand.
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“It has been a tough few years for me, so when I stop and think – wow, people want to buy my stuff, it feels like a miracle,” she says.
“I have been so busy, it’s amazing. People have been really supportive.”
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