Inside Out City Forum
DESIGN NARRATIVE
Inside Out City forum aims to unify and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ Community. Combining the make-up of a traditional library with a touch of modernity, this stimulating environment will actively encourage individuals to learn about queer history and culture. Inside Out will house a selection of social and educational spaces, catering to people of all ages and social groups. The forum hopes to subvert the long-standing perception of a queer safe space being nightclubs, or somewhere that involves alcohol, drugs or a performative aspect. It will be a teetotal daytime space where all people can meet authentically without restriction or pressure.
INSIDE OUT STORY
Upon entering inside this welcoming daytime space, the physiological defences that have been built overtime by the LGBTQIA+ community after a long history of violence, ridicule and discrimination begin to ease. Professor and feminist Diana fuss quoted in her book Inside/ out, “This opposition of public and private, upon which sexual binaries like male/female and heterosexual/homosexual crucially depend, is itself grounded on the prior spatial dualism, inside/outside”. Breaking down the metaphysics that society has forced upon us, Inside Out community forum will encourage users to create their own identities, opinions and form more authentic relationships with likeminded individuals. This inclusive space will inspire people to learn more about LGBTQIA+ history and culture from the foundation up.
Project Links
A Walk Through History
Many hurdles have been overcome in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights and equality. This area covers key milestones from the late nineteenth century to present, allowing people to travel through the space as well as learning about the history of the community.
Communal Cafe Space
The communal cafe space will provide a balance between comfort and privacy. A networking space where patrons can come to work, socialise and indulge in refreshing food and beverages between other day-to-day activities. This space will also provide the community with a daytime space where relationships can be built authentically without the influence of alcohol. The space will also provide job opportunities to the people of Glasgow.
Reflection Hall
The move towards equality and liberation is upon the LGBTQIA+ community, but we’re not there quite yet. This permanent exhibition will provide the user with a moment of peace and wonder, a time to reflect upon what has been achieved for the community. The space will also serve as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done. Each of the glass panels will display manifestations for safety purposes. Each of the manifestations will be different stories from members of the community that have been put forward anonymously to share their own personal experiences with other people.
Mezzanine Library
The main library space which will occupy the mezzanine level looking out onto the reflection hall. Unlike a traditional library space, the books that will be displayed for usage will cover all topics related to the LGBTQIA+ history and culture. A variety of fictional, non-fictional, educational, and topical reads for anyone to indulge in. The use of corrugated glass and iridescent plastic allows light to dynamically travel into the space, with reflections and shadows changing throughout the day. The corrugated glass panels will eliminate the distraction to look what’s happening outside, allowing users to concentrate, as well as making the interior the main focus. The mezzanine library is a quiet space to work, read and relax. With Bespoke seating zones, this will allow users to work in different ways dependent on preference. The individual bay window seats would be the perfect place to read a book and enjoy a refreshing beverage from the cafe. There is also a larger window seat where people can put their feet up with a bit of extra comfort. There will also be two tables with Muuto cover armchairs adding to the grand appeal.
Exhibition Library
A Modular space which caters to educational literature and magazines. The space will act as an unconventional exhibition and installation library focusing on up-to-date attitudes. The library will be a space where people can socialise with others or simply read in solitude. It will also stay in sync with political decisions and progressions, remaining reactive and encouraging users to stay aware of these changes. The distinctive and multifunctional tiered seating which occupies a large proportion of the interior will display new publishing’s, providing people with new and fresh perspectives. The surrounding walls will also be lined with bespoke display shelving with both recent and past editions of LGBTQIA+ magazines including Gay Times and Out Magazine. These platforms have allowed the community to delve into lives that are desirable, admirable and inspiring, and to have them all displayed in one place, available to the public, may help people to discover something new. This space will be the catalyst for new discussions and interests. Encased within the tiered seating will be iridescent tube lights which will change colour as the user travels through the space. The lights will create multiple different moods and atmospheres dependant on where the user is positioned within the space.
Creative Studio Hub
Comprised of creative workshop spaces and an office area for admin work. The space should encourage collaboration inviting people to participate as and when they wish to. The collaboration space will be shared by a team of creatives and community workers who deal with the admin and operation of the building. I believe this will provide people working within the space with a more stimulating and inspiring working environment The groin vault roof cleverly separates the space into specific zones where different activities can be happening simultaneously. Inspired by Nortstudios low table, there will be a collaborative worktable in the centre of the room next to the void space, where workers can meet to discuss potential campaigns and initiatives on ways to promote visibility of the community and the new city forum.
Childrens Library
The children’s library will be a space where users between the age of 5 and 16 can come to learn more the LGBTQIA+ community through books, age-appropriate imagery, playful seating and likeminded individuals who also occupy the space. This age category is a pivotal time for individuals to learn more about themselves as well as others, and it is incredibly important that we surround our children within an environment that encourages fluidity and acceptance for one another.
Family Wall
The family wall is a pioneering tool to break down the stereotype of a nuclear family. The preconception of same sex families has been embedded into our society due to the authoritarian restrictions of the Section 28 law which has and continues to suppress the LGBTQIA+ community from speaking out about same sex families. This playful interactive activity aims to eliminate this issue, allowing children to open their mind to all family types.
Modular Gallery Space
This carefully thought out modular gallery space will highlight multiple social and political topics in a dynamic visual manner. Pioneering Works that have changed our perspective of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout time will be exhibited. Renowned artists such as David Hockney, Keith Haring and Henry Scott Tuke will share the space with new creatives, creating new opportunities, sharing fresh perspectives and unifying the community, thereby creating a space where all people can be celebrated together. The space has no natural light making it the perfect environment to house art protecting it from exposure. The ceiling is mirrored allowing artificial light to travel further through the space as well as making the slightly lower ceiling seem taller. The steel framework which lines the ceiling is used to hang the mesh panels in any direction, meaning the space can be changed or modified to house larger pieces.
Reading Room
A transitional space sitting on the top floor of the building. Three arched window seats with a view over Royal Exchange Square. This will provide the user with a positive environment to unwind, read a book or to simply admire the view. It will be a comfortable resting space between the visually stimulating rooms surrounding. The wall is lined with colourful Rope sofas designed by Normann Copenhagen.
Archive
The archive will be a space where artefacts related to queer history and culture can be retained and respected in the most appropriate way. Accommodating various books, manuscripts, letters, photographs and diaries that have been collected and recorded overtime, this space will physically and theoretically act as the foundation for the rest of the building. The archive will be a semiprivate space to ensure the usage of the material can be monitored and protected at all times. Bookable via the lower ground reception outside the corrugated glass partition walls that encase the archive, this will allow the user to get more information prior to entering the space.