open to change
The Stirling shopping arcade has retained Victorian facades, behind which dwell a bazaar of unusual shops which don’t fit the1990s retail trade mainstream. The Changing Room is situated in this unique, downcast and peripheral arcade. Hidden behind the pristine white walls of the gallery are wonderful arched windows with square paned glass, old cornicing and plasterwork and a grotesque pipe system which probably served as an inadequate heating system. The toilet facilities are located in the recesses of the building, beyond a wooden circular staircase and a frosted glass doored entrance which hides the old plumbing. All this is like looking into a mirror reflecting the past. Smells of disinfectant, polish and staleness mingle with memories of being a child playing in the store rooms of department stores, among old mannequins, telephones, boxes and coathangers.
The Arcade has held a central place both geographically and culturally in Stirling since its mid-to-late-19th century construction. I am drawn to aspects of this cultural life, from the King Street Temperance Hall entrance to the heyday of the Alhambra, up to its closure in 1939.
Popular theatre centred on Music Hall and a variety of musical, comic and juggling acts filled the bill. In particular, performing seals, which had a more sinister First World War Navy role as minelayers, were a novelty act that drew the crowds.
My project involves partitioning a space in the Changing Room space (i.e. Dressing Rooms, later Menzies Gents Changing Room) adjacent to the theatre entrance, to be called the Green Room.
In theatrical tradition, the Green Room was a waiting room for performers near the stage, originally “green” to relieve the eyes from the glare of stage lights.
This room would be restful preparation space for seal performers. Green lighting would be subdued and a gentle play of projected images of seals in water would ensure relaxation. To heighten the chill-out potential, mattresses and cushions will be strewn on the floor and salt-sea smells introduced, along with a gentle, meditational soundtrack based on the sounds of seals and water movement.
Peter Russell
