First look at Burrell Collection's makeover 'journey' through eyes of Glasgow photographer

CHAIRS wrapped up, all in a line, looking like a queue at a bus stop. Scaffolding on the outside, as night falls. High-vis and hard hat on, a conservator takes one final sweep of the basement before the doors close…

This is the un-packing and rebuilding of the Burrell, Glasgow’s world-famous collection of art and artefacts, as told in a series of striking pictures by city photographer Iona Shepherd.

Iona is one of the few people, aside from curators and construction workers, who has been allowed access to the building in Pollok Park during its top-secret, multi-million pound renovations.

“I feel very privileged,” she says, smiling. “I started the project before the museum closed to the public, and have continued during the ‘de-install’ when all the artworks and objects were carefully packed up, and then through the construction works.

“Now, it’s really exciting watching the curators start to ‘re-install’ the artefacts. Everyone is looking forward to the reopening next year.”

Shipping magnate Sir William Burrell collected more than 9000 works of art over 75 years of his life - one of the world’s largest collections gathered by one person – before donating it to the City of Glasgow in 1944.

Paintings and artefacts were installed in the purpose-built Burrell Collection in 1983 as part of Glasgow’s reinvention as a city of culture after the decline of industry.

The museum closed in 2016 for a £69 million refurbishment, which will be completed early next year.

Official Burrell photographer Iona, who specialises in museum, heritage and construction photography, admits she was ‘fairly terrified’ at the start of the project, having the responsibility of photographing precious – and priceless – objects.

“I have a lot of experience though, having worked with Glasgow Museums and other heritage clients before, and you do get more confident as you go on,” she smiles.

“I’m very proud of the fact I’m the only person, apart from the curators, to have got up close to almost every single piece in the collection.”

Iona has also photographed some of the community engagement events taking place with local children, part of the museum’s drive to engage with younger and more diverse audiences.

Iona, who lives on the southside, graduated in psychology before switching to photography.

“I was contributing to the student mag during my psychology degree and as part of that I got a photo pass to T in the Park,” she explains.

“Photography had been my hobby until that point but when I got there and saw people making a living out of it, I realised that was what I really wanted to do.”

As part of the Burrell’s revamp, which will make it one of the ‘greenest’ museums in the UK, Pollok Park is having its own eco-makeover with pedestrianised areas, zero emissions shuttle bus and more electric vehicle charging points and bike racks.

Iona, who is a keen cyclist, is delighted.

“I cycle to the Burrell often and the changes will make the park so much more family-friendly and safer,” she says.

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Iona’s photographs capture quirky and beautiful moments in the Burrell’s makeover journey – the queue of chairs wrapped up, a conservator checking for holes in a tapestry, a night-time shot of the scaffolding going up on the exterior walls. She has also been documenting the objects themselves, for publications and archive records, including her ‘absolute favourites’ - the dark bronze Rodin statues.

“It’s been a fascinating project,” says Iona.

“It is quite different – normally with object photography, you can prop up whatever you are photographing on a table to get the best lighting, or blu-tac it to the desk for the best angle.”

She laughs: “You can’t really do that with an ancient Chinese vase….”