Photo: Erika Stevenson

Thirty-two Texts with Distress presents two interlinked new video works by Irineu Destourelles: ‘Thirty-two Texts Concerning Different Spaces’ and ‘Distressed Animal’. Shown at the Gorbals Library, the works revisit personal memory - of being in public spaces in Glasgow and elsewhere - alongside reflections on how public spaces are represented in media.

In developing these works, the artist engaged with existing research on the local area, including studies of the genealogical and industrial heritage of Cumberland Street Station and its surroundings. The project was also informed by archival material from the National Library of Scotland, particularly film archives documenting urban regeneration projects led by Glasgow City Council during the 1960s and 1970s in predominantly working-class areas such as the Gorbals.

‘Thirty-two Texts Concerning Different Spaces’ is shown on a loop on a standard library computer, similar to those used by library visitors, inviting audiences to sit and experience the work individually. The video includes a low, haunting soundtrack composed of manipulated audio of seagull made sounds, which subtly signals the presence of a second work, ‘Distressed Animal’, embedded within a reading area of the library. This single-channel video is displayed on a 6-inch portable CRT television from the 1980s and depicts a distorted image of a young seagull.

Together, these works invite audiences to reflect on what makes public spaces feel welcoming, fragile, or imperfect.

Irineu Destourelles trained in Fine Art at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and Central Saint Martins in London, and holds a PhD in Film Studies from University College London. His solo exhibitions include 'Subtitulizar/ Subtitling' at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Lisbon), 'The Beat That Makes You Dirty' at CAPC (Coimbra), and 'Tainted Verbal' at Transmission (Glasgow). His work has also been shown at venues such as the Art Institute of Chicago, CNAD (Cape Verde), MAMA Showroom (Rotterdam), and Videobrasil (São Paulo). Destourelles was born in Cape Verde and lives and works in Glasgow.

The project was commissioned by Many Studios as part of the redevelopment of the former Cumberland Street Station, and its production supported by Glasgow Life and Outer Spaces.

Many Studios is a women and LGBT+ led arts organisation and Community Interest Company, founded in 2012. The organisation provides affordable, quality workspace in the city centre and creates locally rooted, internationally reaching projects that showcase arts and culture in Glasgow and across the world.

Many Studioshosts over 35 industrious workspaces for a community of 70+ people, from visual artists and designers to writers and engineers. Our ambition is to provide long-term, quality workspaces, programmes and venues that enable artworkers and organisations to develop practice in new and exciting ways, placing creative practice in Scotland on a global platform.

For opening hours please refer to the Many Studios website.

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