“You’ll not remember the city. You were too wee. But there’s dancing, all kinds of dancing.”
This mural inspired by Douglas Stuart’s Booker Prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain was recently painted on the side of the Barrowlands by Cobalt Collective.
Photo Credit: in.the.novel
The writer expressed his pride as his words were immortalised on the side of Glasgow’s most iconic dance hall.
Douglas Stuart Tweeted:
“Hold up! Not often at a loss for words but… There is a Shuggie mural being painted on the side of The Barrowland in Glasgow. To see my words reflected back on the city that inspired them has blown my mind.”
Stuart, who was born in Glasgow but now lives in New York, said:
“It is beyond my wildest dreams to see my words adorning the city that inspired them. Glasgow, and the Barras, are at the very heart of Shuggie Bain.
The novel is a portrait of a working-class family from the east end, and their resilient Glaswegian spirit.”
The mural features Shuggie dancing in the street and a quote from the book:
“You’ll not remember the city you were too wee, but there’s dancing. All kinds of dancing.”
The Cobolt Collective said:
“Having read Shuggie Bain at the start of this year, we were beyond delighted to be asked to paint a mural to celebrate the powerfully-beautiful novel set in our beloved hometown of Glasgow.
The book is rich in vibrant visual stimuli and depicts nostalgic imagery of Glasgow in the 80s that has inspired the content of the piece.”
They added that the featured quote came from a section of the book where Shuggie’s mum, Agnes, is telling her son about the “brilliance and the beauty of Glasgow”.
“The image of Shuggie, which appears in the centre of the mural, is bringing to life the closing lines in the book where the protagonist twirls and dances in the street. The fireworks going off whilst he dances are another reference from the book, and also give a nod to the stars on the iconic Barrowland Ballroom sign.
This famous Glasgow venue is referenced throughout the book, so to be able to paint it on the side of this building seems wholly fitting, giving Shuggie the centre stage in the city that he so greatly deserves.”
“I HOPE THE MURAL INSPIRES OTHER WEANS TO DREAM BIG WITH THEIR CREATIVITY. IT’S DEFINITELY ONE OF THE PROUDEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE.”
– DOUGLAS STUART
