Empire and Silence

I had the good fortune of seeing collection of short films that captured the magic of the 1938 Glasgow Empire Exhibition. They were shown collectively at the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), and the cinema was packed. The films had no dialogue with the exception of the last which was a contemporary film that explained a little about a project completed by the Glasgow School of Art to recreate the Exhibition in 3D using virtual reality software. The accompanying score to the films was suitaby jolly, and as a fan of that type of modernist architecture the experience was wonderful. The vision and ambition of the scheme demonstrated a confidence and purpose that seems so lacking today - rememerb the Millenium Dome. The results of this self confidence n 1938 was dazzling. It was also gratifying to watch an event that used the word Empire without the necessity to caveat it with some politically correct apology. Perhaps it had something to do with the average age of the audience, ensuring that some could remember the benevolent aspect of the commonwealth not having been subjected to the sort of revisionist education that seems very prevalent now. Not everything emanating from that era of empire was necessarily bad and we would do well to remember that. Some of the aspiration, confidence and values would be of use today it seems to me.

The concluding discussion where two architects debated the merits and ambition of the Exhibition with contributions from the audience, some of whom had attended the event, was again insightful and balanced.

The evening cost £1 and the quality of the films, mostly amateur, reminded me how a mix of ambition, quality and the willing enthusiasm of contributors generated a fabulous event in 1938 and 2008. It also reminded me that the GFT alone is one good reason for living in Glasgow.