Workshop of the World
Princes
Square was originally commissioned as a site for retail by Sir James Campbell
and completed in 1841. Campbell, businessman and Provost of Glasgow, had a
passion for architectural design, insisting on the importance of plentiful
natural light. When his eyesight began
to fail him, he drew his designs with white chalk on dark blue paper…
These colours spoke to me of blueprints and plans; of shipbuilding and of architecture and engineering; even pattern cutting – a reference to another of Campbell’s trades- and the drapers business he established in Prince’s Square. It is the visual language of the Workshop of the World.
These colours spoke to me of blueprints and plans; of shipbuilding and of architecture and engineering; even pattern cutting – a reference to another of Campbell’s trades- and the drapers business he established in Prince’s Square. It is the visual language of the Workshop of the World.
I combined imagery of
the Princes Square building
with elements from historical shipbuilding photographs. The grid pattern creates depth, allows for
playful perspective and hints at the distinctive scheme upon which the City is
designed and founded.
Princes Square was
refurbished and appeared in its current form in 1988, represented here by the
literal ‘relaunching’ the iconic Peacock sculpture.
