A NEW ‘bird’s eye view’ map of Glasgow has been created by a city artist – almost 160 years after the original caused a sensation.
Will Knight used drones to help him make the artwork, which is an incredibly detailed snapshot of modern Glasgow, while his predecessor, Thomas Sulman, did his research in a hot air balloon.
Now, both the Sulman map of 1864 and the Knight map are being displayed side by side in an exhibition at the New Glasgow Society on Argyle Street.
The exhibition also uses interactive elements to encourage visitors to ponder what the city will look like in the future.
The Knight map, commissioned by Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT), is part of the organisation’s Gallus Glasgow project, which explores the development of Glasgow during the Victorian period.
Rachel Kacir, heritage manager, said: “Will has done an incredible job, and it’s been fascinating to watch his meticulous process as the map has developed over the last six months or so.
“Sulman’s map captures Glasgow at a turning point in the industrial revolution. Cargo laden ships pack the Clyde, its banks lined with cranes, warehouses and smoking chimney stacks. Fast forward to the present day and high rise flats punctuate the skyline where the chimneys once stood. The Clyde lies dormant, with the motorway and railways cutting through the city as the main forms of transport for people and goods.”
Rachel added: “Many buildings and even whole districts have been lost to time. And yet, the historic built environment still gives the city much of its character. Some areas, such as Glasgow Green and the Necropolis, have changed little. The Britannia Music Hall, The Trades House and Hutchesons' Hall are amongst the many buildings that have also survived this century and a half of change. They are all testament to how Glasgow’s architectural legacy is still present and relevant today.”
Will, who studied architecture at Glasgow School of Art, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed creating a new contemporary map drawing of Glasgow. Just as the Glasgow City Heritage Trust work on historic structures designed and built by historic architects in the city, I have researched, traced, marked and overlaid my contemporary map on the detailed map left by architectural illustrator Sulman. In doing so, it is possible to see the dramatic ways the city has changed in the intervening years.
“The new drawing will hopefully give us a greater appreciation and value for the city’s historic buildings, whilst also provoking us to consider what might change in the next 150 years, and what we might value in the city in the years to come.”
The exhibition, The Knight Map of Glasgow: Tracing the Transformation, runs until May 14.
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