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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028
Title: Records of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland
Dates of creation: 1993-2000
Extent: 30 metres
Held at: Glasgow School of Art
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)
Level of Description: fonds
Published by: Glasgow University Archive Services, 14 May 2002
Language of Material: eng ger fre

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In November 1994, Glasgow, Scotland, was awarded the title of UK City of Art and Design 1999. This formed part of the decade of annual celebrations that were promoted by the Arts Council of Great Britain (later to be the Arts Council of England). Competition for this title was fierce, with the 17 cities that originally competed for the title finally being reduced to a choice between Glasgow and its east-coast neighbour and capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. At stake was £400,000 from the Arts Council, plus the opportunity to generate much more income for the winning city through future funding bids, sponsorship, grants, tourism, exhibitions, and sales (including the production of catalogues and other merchandise).

The Glasgow 1999 Festival aimed to celebrate excellence in architecture and design from around the world; to promote awareness in the people of Glasgow, its communities, organisations and business of the cultural and economic importance of the design process; and to highlight new thinking to help position Glasgow as a major European city of ideas. In order to do this, the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd created a programme of individual projects and events that encompassed a variety of issues raised by contemporary concerns about architecture and design and that addressed the economic significance of design and architecture for Glasgow's businesses and institution. Further to this, the Festival was to leave a legacy to the city in the form of the Lighthouse Centre for Architecture and Design situated on Mitchell Lane.

Events and projects included exhibitions, conferences and displays; the development of the Lighthouse centre; the Glasgow Collection project that helped to fund new product ideas to a prototype stage; education and community programmes; Homes for the Future, a project to build a new residential area incorporating innovative design principles near Glasgow Green; Millennium Spaces to develop high quality public spaces designed by artists in consultation with local communities; and the Partnership Fund to fund various small scale projects with goals compatible with the aims of the Glasgow 1999 Festival.

The Lighthouse was the largest and most high profile Glasgow 1999 project. It had a further significance as it was the most important legacy of the festival. The Lighthouse cost nearly £13 million and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, European Structural Funds, the Scottish Arts Council, Arts Council of England, Glasgow Development Agency, Glasgow City Council, Historic Scotland and private sponsors. The Lighthouse is housed in the former Glasgow Herald offices built by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Its aim is to combine excellence with accessibility, introducing architecture and design to a mass audience, alongside specific programmes tailored to appeal to children, school and colleges, architecture and design professionals and the business community.

In 2002, the Glasgow 1999 Co Ltd was still an active company.

The archive of The Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd contains many of the publications, correspondence, press releases, press cuttings and the working papers that were produced by the company in the run-up to and during the year-long celebration. Papers relating to the evaluation of the project are also included.

Items not directly related to the working office of the festival company have also been kept, for instance, examples of the merchandise and associated publicity. A record was also made of many of the events and publicity surrounding the year; video & audio recordings of the lectures and photographs of successful projects and schemes.

System of Arrangement

Where ever possible the archive is arranged to mirror the structure of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd. The papers of the Deyan Sudjic, director, and Eleanor McAllister, deputy director, of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Company, and papers relating to the existence of the company as a whole, for example the board minutes and bid documents, are all listed in the first series Establishment Information.

The archive is arranged as follows:

• DC 28/1: Establishment information
• DC 28/2: Capital Projects and Sponsorship
• DC 28/3: Communications
• DC 28/4: Education
• DC 28/5: Exhibitions
• DC 28/6: The Glasgow Collection
• DC 28/7: Initiatives
• DC 28/8: Marketing

Custodial History

Previously kept in the offices of Glasgow Council Offices leased by the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd in Queen Street

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposit : Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd : April 2000

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

This material has been appraised in line with standard procedures

Accruals

No accruals expected

Access Conditions

Open, although some records have a 100 year closure period

Glasgow School of Art Archives are open for research Monday to Friday, 9.30am-12.00 and 2.00-5.00pm, by appointment only

Copyright/Reproduction

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the GSA Archivist

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents

Any copyrights such as the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd may possess in this material are hereby licensed to Glasgow School of Art for the duration of copyright in terms of law

Language of material

Mostly English, but some press cuttings are in German, French or Italian or other foreign languages

Existence and location of copies

No known copies

Finding Aids

An item level list of the collection is available in the search room and at the NRA(S) and NRA in London

Related units of description

Material relating to on going Education Projects is still housed at The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow. Some slides relating to community projects and exhibitions are also housed at The Lighthouse

Additional Financial information is held at Glasgow City Council

Glasgow School of Art Library also holds copies of most of the publications produced by the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd. Press cuttings and some ephemera have been kept on Glasgow 1990; European City of Culture; and the 1987 Garden Festival as well as additional press cuttings taken by Glasgow School of Art Staff on Glasgow 1999 and post Glasgow 1999, and The Glasgow Collection. These are available in the press cuttings folders available in the archives search room. Many of these may not appear in the Glasgow 1999 Festival Company Archive.

Existence and location of originals

This material is original

Publication note

There are no known publications using this material.

Fonds level description compiled by Adele Ashley-Smith, Archivist, 2000-2001

Updated by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 14 May 2002

Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/1

Dates of creation: 1993-2000
Extent: 2.4 metres (8 boxes)
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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Work on Glasgow's bid to become the UK City of Architecture and Design began sometime in 1993 with support being solicited from local authorities, development agencies, local interest and amenity groups, local universities and colleges, architects and other professionals, housing associations and community councils. Competition for the title was fierce with 17 cities bidding including Edinburgh. In November 1994 it was announced that Glasgow had been successful in their bid. The Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd was formed in 1995 with charitable status with Deyan Sudjic being appointed as Festival Director.

• Material concerning the Glasgow bid to become the UK City of Architecture and Design 1999, 1993-1994
• Evaluation of the festival 1999-2000
• General establishment information 1996-2000
• Board Minutes 1996-1999 (subject to 100 year closure)

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/2

Dates of creation: 1993-1999
Extent: 0.9 metres (3 boxes)
Name of creators: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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The most important capital project of the Glasgow 1999 Festival was the Lighthouse Centre for Architecture and Design which was to remain as the legacy of the festival. The other key capital projects were the Homes for the Future project to develop new houses of innovative design from one of 6 proposed sites in Glasgow, the launch events for the Festival and the production of Festival merchandise.

• Records of Homes for the Future 1996-1997
• Records of The Lighthouse 1993-1996
• Launch events 1998-1999
• Other events including BBC Music Live! and the Glasgow West End Festival 1999, 1997-1999
• Merchandise [1999]

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/3

Dates of creation: 1993-2000
Extent: 3.6 metres (12 boxes)
Technical requirements: Includes material on VHS and PAL tape and CD ROM
Name of creators: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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The communications section of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd were involved with press and publicity and general matter relating to communication.

• Material includes entries for the Type Face competition to design the Glasgow 1999 logo [c1995]
• Print and publications1997-2000
• Media coverage 1993-2000

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/4

Dates of creation: 1997-1999
Extent: 1.5 metres (5 boxes)
Technical requirements: Includes material on VHS tape and CD ROM
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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Education was a key element of the Glasgow 1999 Festival in trying to help citizens to understand and expect excellence in architecture and design. Education was delivered using various formats including exhibitions, outreach placements where designers spent time in residencies at primary, secondary and tertiary colleges, young enterprise initiatives and special projects.

• Residency information 1997-1999
• Special projects including the Public Art and Urban Design project, St Jude's Future Environment Project, International Young Designers project and the Design Machine, 1998-1999
• Print and Publications 1997-1999

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

Related units of description

Material relating to on-going Education Projects is still housed at The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow. Some slides relating to community projects and exhibitions are also housed at The Lighthouse.

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/5

Dates of creation: 1980-1999
Extent: 6.9 metres (23 boxes)
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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A major exhibition programme on architecture and design in a number of different venues was one of the key elements of Glasgow 1999. The Exhibitions programme received funding support of £1,240,415 from the ERDF. Other funding came from the programme's core funding. The principle exhibitions were Winning: The Design of Sport, Vertigo, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architecture of Democracy, Mies van der Rohe, Food: Design and Culture, Alexander Thomson, Home/Homes for the Future, Vanity Cases, Alvar Aalto, The Shape of Colour: Red, Design Machine, Identity Crisis, The Glasgow Collection.

• Planning and structures records including exhibition proposals, project management, programmes, venue information 1997-1999
• Exhibitions legal and contracts 1997-1999
• Glasgow museums correspondence 1997-1999
• Exhibition development and supplementary project information 1999
• Exhibition programming 1997-1999
• Individual exhibitions records 1997-1999
• Visitors books 1999
• Glasgow International Design Festival 1996 records 1980-1997
• Glasgow Second International Festival of Design media coverage and marketing information 1999

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/6

Dates of creation: 1997-2000
Extent: 0.6 metres (2 boxes)
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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The Glasgow Collection was an initiative to fund new product ideas to prototypes stage. These items were then exhibited at the Lighthouse in October and November of 1990 and January and February of 2000.

• General information on the Glasgow Collection 1997-2000
• Ephemera 1997-2000
• Contracts with designers 1997-1999

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/7

Dates of creation: 1996-2000
extent and medium of the unit of description: 6.3 metres (21 boxes)
Physical characteristics: Includes photographic material
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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The aim of the initiatives department of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd was to bring about an increase of the appreciation of architecture and design to everyone. It was to leave a lasting legacy on the ground and in the city's culture.

This was to be achieved through a concerted collaboration with people through a structured consultative framework and community programme. Several different projects were set up: the Partnership Fund, Area Festivals, Millennium Spaces and Housing Initiatives which comprised of the Homes For The Future project, the EUROPAN Project in conjunction with the Glasgow City Council, and various competitions in conjunction with Scottish Homes.

• Planning and structure records including material relating to community initiatives development 1996-1998
• Partnership fund 1998-2000
• Millennium Spaces tracing its development from inception through to its submission to the Millennium Commission for funding and then onto its actual implementation 1996-1999
• Area festivals 1999
• "What's your problem?" community projects 1997-2000
• Media coverage 1996-2000
• Assorted images and photographs 1996-2000

System of Arrangement

Arranged in to series in which items are arranged chronologically

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Reference and contact details: GB 1694 DC 028/8

Dates of creation: 1998-1999
Extent: 2 meters (5 boxes)
Name of creator: Glasgow 1999 Festival Co Ltd (festival company : 1995 - : Glasgow, Scotland)

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Marketing played an important role in the promotion of Glasgow 1999 Festival. Materials included video and CD ROM, as well as the more tradition posters, flyers, booklets etc.

• Miscellaneous advertising material, unsorted, 1998-1999
• Publications 1999

System of Arrangement

This material has yet to be arranged formally.