Set up by the Finn Collective on a nondescript industrial estate, 'The Glue Factory' is situated about a 5 minute walk from the Glasgow School of Art on 22 Farnell Street. Initially it was set up for G.I (Glasgow International) with an exhibition called KISS OF LIFE. The exhibition consisted of a showcase of both their own and invited international and local artists work which sought to respond to the architectural, social and historical context of the building.
Following its success, the Glue Factory now hosts work from the MFA degree show and is most definitely the highlight on offer in Glasgow. With a wide range of installation that makes full use of the space, the show presents a refreshing contrast to the rest of the degree show in which one trudges through, many, a make shift white cube, as if on a conveyer-belt of culture.
Particularly impressive are the light installations that reveal the architectural beauty of the building itself. Whilst a lot of work has been done to the factory to make it suitable for exhibition, some of the old machinery has been left and so the character and existing function of the building remains intact. An installation in which a room has been filled with soil and plants, serves to express the notion of new growth out of an old space and explicitly illustrates the juxtaposition of old and new which the glue factory achieves. The vast space with hidden nooks and crannies left me wanting to explore every inch of the space, excited to see what lay round the next corner. It is the response and respect for site specificity that is embedded within the curation of the show, which makes the glue factory such a successful and engaging experience.
With two impressive shows in the space under their belt, one can only hope that this industrial anti-white cube from the Finn collective continues. Well worth a visit, I eagerly anticipate their next offering.
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