Smith runs Grpahic Deisgn, a new experimental studio and hybrid online/offline gallery space which aims to explore non-commercial displays of unconventional moving image and interactive artworks. In addition, Grpahic Deisgn is engaged in a research project to explore the gallery as a hybrid online/offline space, simultaneously displaying work both virtually and physically.
Explaining his decision to set up shop within the Barras, Smith told The Herald: “I’ve been working out of artist studio spaces for years, and for a really long time it’s been my dream to open up the work from that little closed bubble and invite the world outside to see the things that I and artists like myself are making. I had a lot of different and sometimes daft ideas of how to achieve this, like a shop unit in the southside or an office with a window over the M8, but it was tough to find something affordable and practical and the Barras has been a perfect opportunity.
“I had a few years away from the area after Covid, but no matter where you go you’re never really far from the Barras. I was always coming back for gigs at St Lukes or the ballroom or upstairs at Old Burnt Barns, or eating sesame noodles at Ho Lee Fook. Last year Many Studios had this incredible unit with windows facing out onto Ross Street available and I had to come back.”
Smith uses “a big old CRT TV monitor” he inherited to show moving image work from his studio, while mounting print or installation work across the other windows of his studio. With no sound from the films, a QR code invites the public to scan and play the audio through their phones.
When asked about the aims of the space, he responded: “The gallery is really exploratory and isn’t tied to any specific media or themes or types of art. I’d love for it to become a space where artists can present work that’s on the experimental edges of what they do — work that they wouldn’t be able to sell, that isn’t finished, or that asks tough questions.
“More than anything, I want to open the door to let people see what goes on inside artist studios. Too often, creative spaces like those in the Barras are hidden away and people have no idea they’re even there, and when artworks do make it out then they get displayed in sort of inaccessible or exclusive galleries. So I’d love to work against that process.”
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Having a studio within a creative hub alongside more than 60 other creatives, at the heart of the Barras, means that for Smith, when he is in need of inspiration, it’s never hard to find.
He said: “It’s a great community, and I think it’s getting stronger all the time. It’s a really diverse group of creative spaces which can complement each other, I love stopping by to see Tessa’s glass collections at Glazier’s Arms, and for recent exhibitions I’ve been getting art prints done from Stewart at Art.page.
As for the relationship between his studio and the Barras, which began life as a collection of barrows used by traders in the East End of Glasgow in 1921, he commented: “I love the Barras for being this unique destination, unlike anything else in Glasgow, which I hope the studio can fit into.
“For as long as I’ve lived here — maybe always — I think it’s been a place where you go and you really don’t know what you’ll be getting. Like, you wouldn’t go for your messages at the Barras but you’ll still end up with your hands full of things you definitely needed to buy.
“Grpahic Deisgn isn’t a commercial space, I’m not selling anything in the gallery, but I hope that the studio can be a part of that experience: you’re walking through the market, you pass the window and look into the gallery and see something interesting which you weren’t looking for.
“It’s also just a great place for inspiration and materials. I made a film a few years ago using a VHS player and loads of old tapes that I found around the market, and had that on display in the gallery back in February. And when I’m stuck creatively I just wander along to Bill’s Tool Store and pick up something fun that I probably don’t need, like a big roll of chain or another pair of long nose pliers, and you’ll always see something around the place on the way which you didn’t expect.”
And when quizzed on the future of the Barras not just as a marketplace but also as a creative space, Smith responded optimistically: “It feels like the market is doing really well these days which is great to see. When I was first here nearly a decade ago it was a really unique and sort of unhinged place, which was very cool and there’s definitely an edge of that which isn’t there anymore. At the same time though, it also didn’t feel back then like the market was going to survive another 10 years. You could see old market units closing and there weren’t new ones coming in. These things always have to change and adapt and honestly the buzz on a weekend now is unreal.”
Find out more about Grpahic Deisgn studio at https://grpahicdeisgn.com/ and Nathan Smith’s work at http://www.nathandavidsmith.co.uk/