(A Walk Around) The Desolate Barras, Glasgow Mid Lockdown by Shelly Foreshaw
Walking around the empty Barras Market felt eerie and like we had stepped into a different reality as it is normally full of life with people in shops and cafes.
Normally a comparison to the diverse and full of life Manhattan, Walt Whitman describes in his poem “Mannahatta”(1860) which seems to embody the same feeling I normally get when walking those streets but without the people. That exact comparison feels like a stretch and it only highlights the fact that the “People make Glasgow”, as the humanity that normally brings life to the city was prominently missing.
Even though nothing felt normal about the empty places we came across, I was glad to have walked around my neighbourhood and towards the city centre and to have documented a few inconspicuous locations and places to remember this strange time by.
Having walked around on my own for the past few months, I already knew which spots I thought were interesting but on their own – I didn’t think they were encapsulating enough to use my very limited film stock on them. When Anna and I met up, we automatically gravitated to these spots without my conscious choosing of them. So, they got framed after all which I am glad about because without being able to work, I don’t know when I will have to leave and move back home again because my money has run out.
I feel like these will not only act as a reminder of these very peculiar and extraordinary times but maybe even as a reminder of my time in this neighbourhood of Glasgow.”
Anna Acquroff is a model and Scottish musician, frontwoman of the band Medicine Cabinet
Shelly Foreshaw is a German visual artist. She moved to Glasgow to document the music scene just before lockdown started and got stuck there with no concerts to attend to or document.