Nottingham Contemporary Gallery - Essay Example

?Nottingham Contemporary Gallery and Gentrification Introduction For our group project, the issue of gentrification was explored. This issue was explored by looking at the neighborhood of Nottingham, and examining how the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery has improved the overall class of the neighborhood. There is a well-known effect, called the “Bilbao Effect,” which is explained below, and this effect is that, when a new art gallery enters a blighted area, the area becomes revitalized. Tourists are attracted to the area, which boosts the local economy, which makes the area more prosperous, which attracts young hipsters who renovate the properties. This makes the area, overall, a better place to live for everybody, while increasing property values. This project examines whether this was the case with Nottingham after the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery came into the area, which had the aim of transitioning the neighborhood from the industry of lace to an area that is more based upon innovation. The results of this project, along with a literature review and conclusion, is the focus of this paper. Literature Review Lace Quarter and Nottingham Contemporary Gallery Then and Now The Nottingham Contemporary Gallery is part of a unique landscape, in that it sits in an area where the alluvial Trent Valley meets a sandstone bluff. Nottingham itself became a part of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, its primary product being lace. According to Matthews (2008), Nottingham became during this period of time the world centre for the lace trade, because skilled engineers were able to make lace machines, and the buildings which surrounded the Town Hall became the lace market. This was the area where the merchants could congregate, because it was close to warehouses and sales offices. Mason (2004) writes that during the peak of the lace production, which was around 1810, that there were up to 1,800 frames which were knitting the net that would become known as “Nottingham Lace.” The major groups of warehouses that created this lace was at Hounds Gate and Castle Gate, and around St. Mary’s Gate (The lace industry waxed and waned during the early part of the 20th Century, and entered a decline in the 1930s (Matthews, 2008). With the decline of the lace industry came an overall decline of the area surrounding the site of the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery. Therefore, there became a need to re-use this site, and the arts centre, and the city living apartments planned around it, was the idea for this new use (Matthews, 2008). Meanwhile, the old buildings which served as lace warehouses during the height of the lace era have been re-used as flats, bars, offices and colleges. These are the buildings which remain in the physical core of the Lace Market, and the buildings that remain are large and distinctive, marked by Victorian architecture, an architectural type that came to be valued in the late 1960s, therefore the buildings came to have historical significance (Ferris, Long (2009) states that the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, which is at the heart of the urban renewal for the area, is a gateway for the city. The NCG “draws an extraordinarily large swathe of the city into visual dialogue” (Woodman, 2009, p. 12). The Lace Quarter is still visible to tourists and residents alike, and the gallery borders this quarter. The building itself was built in response to another type of legacy, that of contemporary art, which is appropriate, considering that Nottingham has a vibrant art school and a history of performance art. The building itself was designed to reflect the physical character of the site, which means that it would reflect the sandstone bluff and valley upon which it sits, as well as reflect the architecture of the grand buildings that served as the lace warehouses (Administrator, 2009). Moreover, the gallery is not just a gallery – rather, it is an arts centre, with a connection to the local arts community. The curator of public programmes, Rob Blackson, ensures the gallery’s importance to this scene by liaising with schools, community groups, other galleries and the universities in Nottingham, and there also are two youth groups for young people who want a career in the creative industries (Carter, 2009) Because the art scene has revitalized the area after it fell into poverty after the cratering of the lace industry, the building was created to serve and expand the art industry and to keep artists from leaving the city (Long, 2009). The gallery being built was a risky proposition, because the area had fallen into such poverty that the residents demanded that the problems of crime, drugs and teen pregnancy be addressed before directing funds for a civic project such as this one (Christiansen, 2013). However, it has since overcome this stigma, becoming a modern art hub and is now being regarded as just the institution that would lead to a regeneration of the area, while introducing glamour (Christiansen, 2013). The hope is that it can emulate the “Bilbao Effect” (McBain, 2013). This is named for the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, which has been a magnet for tourists, revitalizing the local economy, as visitors spending millions on catering, accommodations, transport and leisure (Bailey, 2002). Summary of Group Presentation Our group studied the lace quarter of Nottingham, using the contemporary gallery as our contextual pivot point. We studied historical maps, which showed the contours of the industrial warehouses that used to house the lace producers. We also made a gentrification diagram, which looked at the wider landscape. We were interested in studying whether or not gentrification occurred. When gentrification occurs, the existing residents of a given neighborhood move out, and upscale people move in. These new residents renovate their own property, and the value of the properties rise, along with the rents of the properties. Therefore, the leftover residents from the previous incarnation of the neighborhood cannot live in the area anymore. They leave, and more upscale, higher class people move in, thus making the entire neighborhood more fashionable and desirable. The hypothesis that our group was working with was that Nottingham has an improving economy and has a more desirable image than it did before the contemporary gallery entered the neighborhood. We gathered photographic evidence and sketches. The reason why we believed that the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery would have the effect of creating a higher class neighborhood for Nottingham is because of what is known as the “Bilbao effect,” which was explained above in the literature review. In addition to creating a haven for tourists, attractions such as art galleries also supply more demand for bars and cafes. The end result is that a higher class of people, especially hipsters, enter the area, which drives up the property prices. This is a top down alternative to gentrification. We gathered evidence that the Bilbao Effect was at work, or, at least, that the elected officials were seeking the Bilbao Effect, as Dave Tribal, who was from the Nottingham City council states that he intended to make the area a weekend stay destination, which means that he hoped that the area would become more of a tourist attraction. Moreover, there is also indication that the people of Nottingham, especially elected officials and marketing departments, are encouraging gentrification and making the area more upscale. The marketing department indicated that they were encouraging families to get involved with weekend activities and community projects. However, there was a disconnect, in that the families that lived in the area were not well informed regarding these activities. We also found that there were not many activities taking place at the NCG. Moreover, there is an issue with actually using the empty warehouses for businesses, because of the planning restrictions. We also found that there are many signs for lets and sells around the lace quarter, which means that the area is not becoming as gentrified as the council has expected. There were also a good number of closed properties, and this has not changed between the years 2008 and 2013. A pub lady stated that she has seen very little change in the area, and that their still were regular who were coming from the surrounding area. Our recommendations are that the area should target young people. There are sectors in which they can work, in the areas of manufacturing and creative development. Moreover, there are semi-detached housing and flats, and this would be affordable housing for new graduates. If the area targets young people, then this would help with the gentrification process. This process that is demonstrated by the NCG is a perfect example of UNIC at work. The stated purpose of the UNIC is to “build upon a common industrial heritage and design building visions and actions for a prosperous future around ceramics” (Briggs, p. 20). The project is built around the concept that neighborhoods may transition from areas which are resource driven to areas which are innovation driven. The project also suggests that if a city becomes too dependent upon any one sector, then this is a significant risk, because if this sector starts to falter, the entire city goes with it. This means that there must be a period of structural change for the city (Briggs). Therefore, the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery, and the vision that the city planners have for gentrification centered around this, fits in perfect with the UNIC model – the NCG is the innovative industry that is replacing the labour-intensive industry, which will help the neighborhood transition and make a structural change. Conclusion The NCG has the potential to revitalize the area of Nottingham’s historic lace district. What I learned from this assignment is that industrial areas that support industries that are no longer vital can be remade. This assignment helped me understand how it is that these neighborhoods can go from being mired in poverty to becoming an area that is attractive and hip. The areas themselves, in this case the enormous warehouses, can be a part of the revitalization, as they can be used for flats or office buildings or pubs. Then, introducing a focal point, such as the NCG, has the possibility for further gentrification of the area. What our investigation of the area showed, however, is that the gentrification is not occurring in the manner or the speed that the elected officials would have hoped. There still were many lets and “for sale” signs, and there still were empty business spaces. In speaking with some of the locals, there was the overall impression that the area has not changed that much in the past 15 years. There were activities planned for the gallery, but no real marketing plan to get the word out to the people. The area would do well to concentrate on keeping young people in the area, by focusing on affordable housing, industry that would attract the young people, and better marketing. Administrator (2009) “Centre for Contemporary Arts Nottingham, Caruso St. John Architects, Nottingham Arts Centre,” Available at: www.e-architect.co.uk/england/notthingham_arts_centre.htm [Accessed 8 Jan 2013]. Bailey, M. (2002) “The Bilbao Effect,” Forbes.com. Available at: www.forbes.com/2002/02/20/0220conn.html Briggs, A. “UNIC – Urban network for innovation in ceramics,” Art/Architecture Journal, pp. 20-31. Carter, V. (2009) “Nottingham Contemporary: The most important thing to happen to Nottingham since 1963?” Impact Mobile Edition. 1 December. Available at: www.impactnottingham.com/2009/12/nottingham-contemporary-the-most-important-thing-to-happen-to-nottingham-since-1963 Christiansen, R. (2009) “Nottingham Contemporary: Making waves and taking risks,” The Telegraph. 3 March. Available at: www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/6530716/Nottingham-Contemporary-making-waves-and-taking-risks.html Ferris, J. “Conservation and regeneration in the Nottingham Lace Market,”Available at: www.arcchip.cz/w02/w02_ferris.pdf Harvey-Williams, N. (2001) “A brief history of hosiery and lacemaking in Nottingham,” Available at: www.williams.gen.nz Long, K. (2009) “Arts and crafts,” The Architects Journal, vol. 230, no. 17, pp. 22-35. Mason, S. (2004) “Black lead and bleaching – the Nottingham lace industry,” BBC Home. Available at: www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/nottingham/article_1.shtml Matthews, C. (2008) Snotingham: A Nottingham History Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McBain, S. (2013) “From Turner contemporary to the Hepworth: Can the ‘Bilbao Effect’ work in the UK?” Available at: www.spearswms.com/spears-world/article-of-the-week/42272/from-turner-contemporary-to-the-hepworth-can-the-bilbao-effect-work-in-the-uk.html Woodman, E. (2009) “Curtain raiser,” Building Design, 1892, pp. 10-15. Read More