The Hidden Stories Map

For Glasgow Doors Open Day Festival (GDODF) Hoskins Architects brought together a range of collaborators to work together in response to recent global events and produce a beautifully illustrated, educational and accessible digital walking tour, aimed at young people.

Glasgow Doors Open Day Festival is a brilliant, eclectic celebration of the city we love, and in which we live and work. In 2020, festival organisers, Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, overcame the obstacles COVID-19 presented by making their event entirely accessible online, with the timely theme of Untold Stories.

During lockdown, we witnessed worldwide protests in the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd, which led to a global debate on how society addresses structural racism. Part of that debate focussed on how we think about the statues and street names historically connected to slavery and racist ideology. In the late 17th century notions of racial superiority were developed and even codified into law, in order to justify the enslavement of African people.

The story of how Glasgow was shaped by the Transatlantic slave trade is fascinating, as is the lack of discussion and formal education around it. Understanding our history and these ideologies is imperative, as it will help us better understand and question racist ideas that continue to affect people’s lives now.

Hoskins Architects invited Stuco Design, the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) and veteran political campaigner and community activist Cllr. Graham Campbell to collaborate on the project, bringing together a diverse set of skills with wide-ranging experience. All involved share a belief in the fundamental role the creative arts and design have in telling these important stories in an engaging way.

The Hidden Stories Map is an interactive, digital walking tour aimed at young people, incorporating challenges and stories that reveal the connection our city has to the Transatlantic slave trade. Brought to life by the beautiful illustrations of Stuco Design and the voices of a diverse group of school children, the tour is designed to encourage young minds to explore and interrogate the built environment around them.

You can access the tour by downloading the GuidiGo App and searching for ‘The hidden Stories Map’.

App Store / Google Play

Image Key:

(map) Hidden Stories Map
(people) Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass & Cllr Graham Campbell
(building) Glasgow City Chambers

(C) Stuco Design

18 September, 2020