Your Space Or Mine
Social Recluse
As designer and screen printer Social Recluse considered ideas for his Your Space Or Mine COVID-19 poster collaboration with the BUILDHOLLYWOOD family, by reflecting on what’s been important during COVID-19 lockdown. “Music has to play a part,” he thought, “it’s something that gets you through testing times. It’s always there and is such a big part of my city.” Images evolved coupling Glasgow landmarks together with lyrics that chime poignantly with some of what we’re thinking and feeling right now.
All Social Recluse’s poster designs feature strong graphic linear representations set against subtle single colour backgrounds. In ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ the famous equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington has, of course, somewhat incongruous headgear. The ritual of crowning the Duke with a traffic cone epitomises Glaswegian’s anti-authoritarian spirit and irrepressible humour. The lyric derives from the 1985’ Simple Minds’ hit and is one of the most popular songs to come out of the city. “I wanted to get into people’s heads and talk to them,” the designer said.
The haunting refrain of ‘Oh Let Me Tell You That I Love You… That I Think About You All The Time’ from the song Caledonia is aptly paired with the silhouettes of famous Glasgow music venues. The sense of longing for home and family is palpable and reminds us how much we’re missing the sounds and companionship of attending gigs, concerts and communal singalongs.
Another famous Glasgow venue, the Barrowland Ballroom, sits beneath Jerry Rafferty and Joe Egan’s ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’. It’s a lyric that sums up the occasional despair of being cooped up inside with people we love but from time to time may feel we’ve seen quite enough. Obviously for Quentin Tarantino film fans it conjures up an altogether more disturbing instance of lockdown but maybe we’ll draw a veil over that one. Real life is shocking enough.
