of sugar and Bones
‘of sugar and Bones’ is a site specific installation responding to the imperial architecture of the Civic Room and its surrounds and seeks to make an interjection about our collective memory and who we are as a city.
From the end of the 19th Century, Glasgow’s trading industries, manufacturing bases and geographical position leads it to be referred to as the Second City of the Empire. The River Clyde in particular becomes a conduit for transportation and trade, aiding the generation of wealth and the advancement of Glasgow to a centre of colonial profits. Today, the built fabric of the city is scattered with reminders of the city’s connections with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. However, these emblems of authoritative memory and the continual process of urban renewal are petrifying the city into a state of collective amnesia.
‘of sugar and Bones’ is the third exhibition featured in the ‘Of Lovely Tyrants and Invisible Women’ programme investigating themes of spatial politics, gender and racial hierarchies within imperial architecture. Generously funded by Creative Scotland with additional project funding provided by National Lottery Heritage Fund.