A Dundee building closed since 2019 has partly reopened to the public to host an art show with a difference.
In the heart of the city, Bell Street Music Centre closed five years ago to wide dismay as it had been home to many of Dundee’s school orchestras.
Prior to that, it was best known for an 1865 tragedy where 19 people died in a crush on the stairs while trying to get into a performance.
It was taken over last year by Drawing Projects UK, an arts organisation co-founded by DJCAD dean Anita Taylor, and will eventually be a base for residencies, exhibitions and other projects.
And while work on the building may appear frustratingly slow, art school head Anita explains Drawing UK has already achieved a great deal in a year.
“We have made the whole building wind and watertight,” she says.
“Although we still have our fingers crossed on this as we have some more stone conservation work to do. And we have removed all asbestos internally.
“We’ve also uncovered a number of hidden features, including original cast iron columns, plasterwork on the ground floor and the ticket hatch for the hall.”
One floor open for out-of-the-box art show
As refurbishment continues, DPUK has temporarily opened one floor that looks like it has been barely touched for decades to host an exhibition first shown in Berlin earlier this year.
Far from a trendy white-walled gallery, there is no gift shop, uniformed attendants or even electricity to provide regular lighting.
Instead, organisers are relying on natural light streaming through the huge stained-glass windows of the space previously known as Bell Street Hall, once Dundee’s largest venue.
Entered via Constitution Road, this particular floor had not been used for many years, apart from as a storage space, due to the asbestos contamination.
On the plus side, it does provide level access from street level, albeit down a gloomy corridor.
This means limited opening hours and visitor numbers.
Curator Alex Roberts, however, believes such challenges suit a show she has aptly titled G.R.I.T. That’s short for Gestural, Reflective and Inquiring Tales.
“When I was in London, I had loads of shows in random warehouses where you just had to work with the space,” she remembers.
“Here, the light creates moments of quiet for each artist. And there are little nooks and crannies that give the title its double meaning – the grit of survival, being a painter in these times.”
A taste of Berlin art world in Dundee
GRIT showcases works from 14 artists with individual styles based across Europe, from the UK to Belarus.
For Alex, they all share an immediacy that comes from their brushwork.
As well as an artist based partly in Berlin herself, Alex is drawing lecturer at DJCAD, splitting her time between the two cities where GRIT is showing.
Having moved to Dundee three years ago, she is starting to find herself putting down roots by the Tay and enjoying the balance between those two communities.
“You’ve got two really interesting places that are culturally curious,” she says. “You’ve got space to be creative and they’re both real.”
G.R.I.T. runs until 12 October with an series of accompanying events including online talk on Friday September 27. Free ticketed entry via paintinggrit.com
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