A View From Here (2014) 

In 2014, as many of Glasgow’s high flats were being demolished, Scottish Refugee Council worked with residents in Knightswood and the Gorbals to capture their stories, through visual arts, photography, film and performance, before this piece of Glasgow’s
heritage was lost.

Supported by the Glasgow Housing Association and New Gorbals Housing Association, the project used oral testimonies, historical documents and photographs, spoken word, theatre, film and photography, to look at the shared and disparate experiences of asylum seekers, refugees and local Scots housed across the city.

Following a series of artist-led workshops facilitated by theatre director Carrie Newman, visual artist Jan Nimmo and filmmaker Basharat Khan, the group created a unique story-based performance in November 2013.

An exhibition of photography, object and film was launched in 2014.

Commissioned by Scottish Refugee Council for Refugee Festival Scotland 2014

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Exhibition presented at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Old Hairdressers and Stereo in Glasgow

“Glasgow’s housing journey and the story of each and every individual who has lived in the high flats is fascinating and it is these stories that bring bricks and mortar to life.

The intangible heritage of daily life, strife and laughter reveal the relationships, communities, beginnings and endings that have been lived within the walls. The stories, the songs sung, the food cooked, the view from here tells us not what the high flats are or were, but what life is like living in them.” Carrie Newman

Image credit: Iman Tajik