The first of our 2017 series of lectures, delivered by Fiona Sinclair and bringing attention to Thomson’s lost buildings.

The second in our 2017 series of talks is by Professor Dean Hawkes.

His talk will focus on the work of Sir John Soane, in particular his house at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Law Courts at Westminster (long ago demolished, but remarkable), the Bank of England and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. When Sir John Soane died in 1837, Alexander Thomson was 20 years old. The two men were therefore, just, contemporaries. They also shared a deep engagement in applying the ‘classical language of architecture’, in Summerson’s terminology, in the transformation of two great cities, London and Glasgow. This lecture explores Soane’s response to London at the dawn of the 19th century.

We are delighted to confirm that the venue for this talk will be the Seona Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art, providing an opportunity to experience the interior of Steven Holl’s new addition to the campus. Both Holl in Glasgow and Soane in London share a desire to manipulate and modulate light in their interiors.

Professor Dean Hawkes:
Emeritus Professor of Architectural Design, Welsh School of Architecture.
Emeritus Fellow, Darwin College, Cambridge.
Visiting Professor, Mackintosh School of Architecture, 2004-2009.
Four RIBA Awards for Architecture in partnership with Stephen Greenberg, 1983-1994.
RIBA Annie Spink Award for Architectural Education (2010),

His published works include:
The Environmental Tradition (1996)
The Environmental Imagination (2008)
Architecture and Climate (2012)
The buildings of Sir John Soane (1753-1837) are discussed in all the above.

Gary Nisbet of Glasgow Sculpture will deliver a talk focussing on the work of John Mossman, with particular reference to the link between the Mossman’s and Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson.

Things as they are/as they ought to be is an exhibition of works spanning sculpture, film and textiles by artists Olivia Jones and Alberta Whittle. Taking place inside the ruin of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s first church, the building’s context and style have acted as catalysts for conversations surrounding memory, history and appropriation between the curator and contributing artists. Experimenting with the tensions around dominant/collateral narratives and attributions, Jones and Whittle’s work seeks to explore such pressures and focus on historical interpretations or connotations that are often neglected.

ALBERTA POSTER OLIVIA POSTER

Architect and deputy director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Niall Murphy, will deliver a talk focussing on the life and work of Sir John James Burnet. His works include Charing Cross Mansions and the Clyde Navigation Trust building in Glasgow, and works to British Museum and Selfridges in London.

Nominated for the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards in 2017 for his research into James Sellars and his Kelvinside Academy building, Dominic Ferrie will present his ongoing research into the life and work of Sellars, and his link to Alexander Thomson.