Derelict Glasgow<\/i><\/strong>, a photographic show currently on display at\u00a0The Lighthouse<\/a>, Scotland\u2019s national centre for design and architecture in Glasgow, takes a critical look at urban blight.\u00a0\u00a0Architecture graduate\u00a0Joe Shaldon<\/a><\/strong>, has loaded his show with scores old buildings, some vacant and some abandoned as they slowly evolve into urban ruins. \u201cIt\u2019s not urban exploration. That\u2019s not my angle,\u201d he says of his work. \u201cIt\u2019s a look at urban isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artists have known about decay\u2019s visceral appeal for decades. Ruins add colour, texture and randomness to the palette. The works of\u00a0Sven Fennema\u00a0<\/a>come to mind. So do the photographs of Yves Marchand and Roman Meffre and their book\u00a0The Ruins of Detroit<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n

Abandoned buildings are both creepy and poignant. \u00a0Shaldon adds another element.\u00a0\u00a0Context. Every city has its urban blight but what makes Glasgow unique is its architectural and historical past. Shaldon\u2019s ruined buildings are over a hundred years old. Some of them were once grand edifices in, what was called at the time, the Second City of the Empire. It was the late 1800\u2019s and Glasgow was an economic powerhouse fuelled by textiles, steel and shipbuilding. The city was flush with pride and confidence. The rusting cranes along the River Clyde tell another story. A story of loss. The great liners were built here – the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth as well as half the Royal Navy – but those days are gone. Only the cranes remain to remind us of the once-bustling shipyards.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the paradox. Sure, ruins speak of death but perhaps in death they remind us of life as well. Imagine the grand parties that went on at the now derelict estates or the families that filed through the blue-fronted funeral parlour, united in their grief but unaware that the city would be mourning the passing of the parlour itself in the years to come. Ruins, with their emotional impact and symbolism, continue to fascinate.<\/p>\n

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All Images \u00a9 Derelict Glasgow<\/p>\n

+ Derelict Glasgow<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Derelict Glasgow, a photographic show currently on display at\u00a0The Lighthouse, Scotland\u2019s national centre for design and architecture in Glasgow, takes a critical look at urban blight.\u00a0\u00a0Architecture graduate\u00a0Joe Shaldon, has loaded his show with scores old buildings, some vacant and some abandoned as they slowly evolve into urban ruins. \u201cIt\u2019s not urban exploration. That\u2019s not my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":40249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[7027,7021,7024,6954,7026,7023,7025,7022],"yoast_head":"\n