About this Event
Gary Painter, one half of the Scottish Cinemas duo, will be giving an illustrated talk on the East End's old cinemas.
Glasgow used to be known as the Cinema City, having more cinema seats per head than any other city in the world! East End My Friend's home turf of Riddrie played host to two cinemas, and there were many more throughout the east end. The reason we know so much about Glasgow's (and Scotland's) cinema history is beacuse of the Scottish Cinemas website, run by Gary Painter and Gordon Barr. It's an incredible resource that might make you a bit sad about how much our communal cinemagoing culture has shrunk, but will make you even more determined to support the cinemas, film clubs and other initiatives that do still exist.
Gary Painter studied history and archaeology at the University of Glasgow and supported these studies with a part-time job in the Odeon Cinema in Renfield Street. One night, one of the senior projectionists showed him photos of the interior as it once was, which set his industrial archaeology senses twitching. Thus began a love affair with crawling around in voids and peering through hatches to find forgotten remnants of buildings much altered over the years. He now works as a Stage Doorkeeper at Glasgow's Theatre Royal.
East End My Friend is a collective of people living in the east end of Glasgow who want to use arts and culture to bring our communities together. We want to learn about and amplify the histories of our neighbourhoods and provide platforms for local artists to share their work. In doing this we hope to strenghten community ties, combat alienation and be part of fostering a thriving local arts scene.
Event venue & nearby stays
Riddrie Library, 1020 Cumbernauld Road, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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