MacMillan/Metzstein celebration is one of most popular Lighthouse exhibitions in recent years

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The celebration of the work of Andy MacMillan and Isi Metzstein at the helm of Gillespie Kidd & Coia has proved to be one of the most popular exhibitions at The Lighthouse in recent years it was announced today, 15 February 2008. Over 70,000 people saw the show dedicated to the buildings designed by Scotland’s two greatest living architects during its run at Scotland’s national Architecture and Design centre in Glasgow.

“The driving force behind the project was to celebrate the contribution of two people whose work deserved wider recognition”, says Nick Barley Lighthouse director.  “Andy and Isi designed some astonishing buildings and richly deserve their place in the architectural hall of fame. That this exhibition should prove one of our most popular to date is a testament to the on-going interest in their work and I hope it will provide added impetus to efforts being made to ensure the protection and preservation of their surviving buildings.”

The exhibition comprised a range of different materials from original drawings and documents to beautifully crafted models. Among the most popular elements were the two specially commissioned films, Slide In and Lessons in Architecture, directed by Saul Meztstein. Featuring conversations with Andy MacMillan and Isi Metzstein, they give a fascinating insight into the way their creative partnership worked. Also popular were the contributions from ISO – an amazing series of animations showing how the final buildings were developed from the original plans, and a series of interviews with current users of Macmillan/Metzstein buildings.

“ What the Gillespie, Kidd & Coia show has demonstrated,” continues Barley “is that by providing a range of different ways to interact with the subject – from detailed plans and drawings to very personal accounts of the creation and use of the buildings - an exhibition can speak to professionals and public alike.”

Gillespie, Kidd & Coia: Architecture 1956 –1987 was created by a partnership of The Lighthouse and The Glasgow School of Art in association with the Royal Commission in the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. A grant of £357,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund has made it possible to conserve and open up the Gillespie, Kidd & Coia archive, a jewel in the crown of the Archives and Collections at The Glasgow School of Art. Much of the exhibition material was drawn from the archive, access to which will be further increased from Spring 2008 with the launch of www.gillespiekiddandcoia.com

“We are delighted that the exhibition was such a resounding success, reflecting the huge interest in the work of Gillespie Kidd and Coia,”. says Seona Reid, Head of The Glasgow School of Art. “Our aim throughout this project was always to make the archive accessible for future generations. The exhibition was one part of this.  The other was the cataloguing and conservation of the archive which, from later this year, will be accessible to the public, researchers and students alike within the new Archives and Collections Research Centre in the Mackintosh Building at the GSA”

The Lighthouse also confirmed today that they were in conversation with a number of international organisations and venues with a view to taking the exhibition overseas.