Vintage culture at city festival

Feb 28 2013

Award-winning designers are to take centre stage at this year's Merchant City Festival.

Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, both MBEs, will host Vintage Glasgow, one of 300 events and performances expected to attract 100,000 people to the festival on July 24-28.

Vintage Glasgow, making its debut in Scotland, will celebrate British music, fashion, film, art, dance, food and design from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Merchant City Festival also takes on a Commonwealth theme as it marks a year until the start of the Glasgow 2014 Games.

An interactive installation called The South Brunswick Street Rope Factory, produced by Ice Cream Architecture, is being planned. It features 71 coloured ropes which represent the states of the Commonwealth, weaved together as a map which visitors can walk through.

Some of Europe's best street performers are also invited to the city for five special shows, in partnership with Conflux's Surge festival.

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson, who is also chair of the festival, said: "The wealth of music, culture and artistic vision that will be on show across the five days are a reflection of the fantastic arts organisations and venues our city has to offer.

"Attracting events of the calibre of Vintage to Glasgow reinforces our claim to be Scotland's cultural powerhouse. These highlights also demonstrate our ability to deliver a world-class cultural programme in 2014."

Mr Hemingway said: "Over the past few years hundreds of thousands of lovers of Britain's music, fashion, film, art and design heritage have glammed up and danced on London's South Bank and on the Sussex Downs, and the Vintage team are really looking forward to working with Glasgow Life, The Dollshouse and a local team of creatives to deliver an event that will live long in the memory of Glaswegians of all ages and tastes."

The Dollshouse, a PR firm for the cultural sector, is commissioned to produce Vintage Glasgow in partnership with Hemingway Design for the Scottish debut of Vintage. Vintage Glasgow is at Candleriggs, Old Fruitmarket and City Halls in Glasgow on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July.