Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue

[breeksy]

No alternatives seem to have been looked at with any degree of interest.

 

I wonder how much it would cost to spruce up the Garrison, provide more comfortable seating etc? Maybe provide equipment for gigs that can be used at the current variety of suitable venues we already have? I don't know all the ins and outs of the whole thing but what I do know is:

 

VERY seldom are the films that are here once per month sold out, and

 

Last night at the Garrison theatre, the 'a play a pie and a pint' production had an audience of maybe 35 people at the most - and that included at least three people (probably more) that were there with their media/reporting hats on.

 

Although the ideal is a good one, we just don't have the audiences here to make it worthwhile. What we do have is a plethora of existing facilities that could be much better utilised, and at a fraction of the estimated cost of the planned venue.

[sheepshagger]

have to say that I reckon it will be a huge waste of money the garrison will do for films and music, we could use the TA hall for gigs where folk want to get up and dance and the fort for open air gigs.

what ever happened to the bowling alley we were prommised when I was a bairn?

Oh yeah we got a bowling green instead, the youngsters just love it, its packed out fae 3:30 till 9:00 every night.

I put the same question to a oficial of the rec trust a few years back who happened to be fae sooth and just happened to be a keen lawn/carpet bowler.

His answer was that the skills needed to run a bowling alley were not available in Shetland and we would have to call an engineer fae sooth to repair it every time it broke down.

I threw the sausage out shop I was working in at the time, lost a big sale too

yet another condasending wooble spending our money

we need things for the bairns to do with their time not every one wants to play fitba or sports and the bowling alley in aberdeen does seem to be poular with Shetlanders judging by the amount of them I've met in there over the years

[Styles]

I love the bowling in Aberdeen, especially as you can get alcohol at the same time.

 

I worry about how expensive this music venue will end up as I can see it being way over budget.

[Medziotojas]

have to say that I reckon it will be a huge waste of money the garrison will do for films and music, we could use the TA hall for gigs where folk want to get up and dance and the fort for open air gigs.

 

and in the “What’s it Like to Live in Shetland?†thread, Sheepshagger wrote

 

and at the moment the night life is pretty poor due to the closure of the only real music venue with a decent fire limit on numbers. the pubs are OK at the weekend but dead through the week.

 

 

I hardly think the TA hall's the ideal replacement for the North Star and as far as open air gigs are concerned, the weather aside, there's so much red tape involved in organising these gigs nowadays that you'll be hard pushed to find anybody to take it on board. You need to start planning a year ahead for something which may or may not be a success.

[sheepshagger]

I very much doubt that a music venue run by the arts trust will compare to the north star. they are too far up their own arses to let folk carry on like we did in the star. Do you really think that there will be DJs playing every weekend or is it more likely to be traditional music. Also I doubt that ginger nuts will stop objecting to any late licence that is applied for by a private concern either (god forbid the police actually havin to work for a livin) so we're probably screwed which ever way we go.

 

I,m told the accoustics in the clickimin are crap so why did they not build the bowls hall with decent accoustics (multi use and save money or is that me blasphemin)

the burra hall sorted their accoustics out very cheaply by putting up baffles or something and I,m sure the games hall at the clickimin could be sorted for a lot less than £9.5 mil so no need for a separate music venue unless of course it just another ego trip by certain members of Shetland's self styled nobility.

 

 

I'm sat in many a picture house in the UK that was less comfortable than the Garrison so stop bloody moaning you bunch of wimps. take a cushion with you if your that delicate.

 

Shetland had loads of open air gigs when I were a lad and with all this global warming you all seem to reckon is happening then the dellicate peerie souls that you are should have no bother in the future.

 

Christ on a bike £9.5mil will keep 20 pensioners from surrey in one of our care homes for 9.5 years and as another thread on here shows that seems to be a priority.

 

Remember folks we dont make a bloody penny from our oil now except our wages. ( a bit like coming home and finding a thief strugling to carry your wide screan tv out to his van giving him/her (don't want to be called sexist as well as racist) a hand then gettin a tip.

 

So Medziotojas I'll stick with my opinion waste of bloody money.

When du's next hom we can tak da bairns tae da garrison to watch "bambi the revenge" send dem hom we dir midders an gaen for a boogie in da fort drinking only non branded cola cause wir no aloud ta hae a dram in da open air.

 

My god lets open up da Quarry on da staney hill its ootside da prison limits so we'll get ta hae a few nips and da accoustics were pretty good last time we wir dare problem solved all for da price o a good jacket

[sheepshagger]

Me being racist again but how many Shetlanders are actually in the Shetland Arts Trust.

 

just a thought

[MuckleJoannie]

Me being racist again but how many Shetlanders are actually in the Shetland Arts Trust.

 

The Shetland Arts Development Agency (I thought it was the Shetland Arts Trust too) conviently lists its staff at

 

http://www.shetlandarts.org/whoarewe.html

 

so you can request birth certificates, proof of residence etc.

 

They don't list any trustees though. Can anyone enlighten us if there are any now?

 

I seem to recall that the music venue project was originally started by Davie Gardner when he was with the Arts Trust several years ago, not the present bunch, who have merely picked it up and run with it.

[marlin13]

Found this on the internet at shetland news article from 6th dec 2005

so not sure if its still relevant.

A NEW arts development agency is starting to take shape in Shetland with the appointment of a board of trustees to oversee its formation.

 

The trustees are Lynsey Anderson, Gussie Angus, Geoffrey Bevan, Ivan Coghill, Joanne Jamieson, Jim Johnston, Christine McLean, Donald S. Murray, Roxane Permar and Cameron Rae.

[peeriebryan]

Below is a copy of Jo Jamieson's letter published in today's Shetland Times. I think she raises some very pertinent points, and goes beyond the usual 'bums on seats at the cinema' debate. A very important point she flags up, which is seldom considered, is the educational aspects of Mareel. Bear in mind that:

 

- The cinema will also be used as a lecture theater, multimedia performance area and will allow film and media students to view their work 'in situ'

 

- The music performance areas will allow technology students ready access to a P.A., monitor and lighting systems

 

- Media Business students will be involved with the programming, booking and marketing of events at Mareel, and the production, marketing and administration of the output from the.....

 

- Recording studio and multimedia production suites designed with education in mind

 

- There will also be dedicated band rehearsal rooms

 

Such a combination of cinema, music venue and educational facility, allowing students to be trained vocationally would be, as far as I'm aware, unique in the UK. Mareel is far more than an entertainment facility, its an investment in Shetland's creative future.

 

Support Arts Venue

 

There has been a lot of discussion recently about Mareel, the planned cinema, music venue and college facility. There is also a bit of confusion over some of the details, so here are a few points to ponder.

 

Firstly, the council has already spent a significant amount of money on this project to date – a bit under half a million pounds. If councillors abandon the project now, that money has been wasted.

 

Secondly, this project will bring in over £2.1 million in lottery money plus other funding from external sources – that money will also be lost if councillors back out now. And the lottery won’t give that money to the council for more care homes.

 

Let’s not forget Shetland’s Cultural Strategy (see http://www.shetland.gov.uk/community/documents/ShetlandCulturalStrategy.pdf ) which is a toolkit and reference for the council and links with almost all the council’s individual plans and strategies. It basically spells out some of the things that the council is supposed to do. It’s three themes include:

 

1. … increasing access to and participation in the broadest range of cultural activities throughout Shetland, particularly for people who may be excluded at present., (so that would be film watching and making, music, digital media, and college courses in these areas);

 

2. Celebrate, promote and invest in the islands’ distinctive creativity, diverse culture, heritage and environment, and develop and promote them within Shetland and to the wider world;

 

3. Contribute to the regeneration of Shetland’s quality of life, image and economy through the strategic development of human, physical, geographic and financial resources. (So, build the venue, in other words)

 

The Cultural Strategy is based on the wishes and aspirations of this community, and takes account of Scotland’s national principles and strategic objectives, including: Promoting creativity, the arts, and other cultural activities; Realising culture’s potential contribution to education, promoting inclusion and enhancing people’s quality of life; Celebrating Scotland’s cultural heritage in its full diversity.

 

These are all things that Mareel will do. I also doubt if much of the Cultural Strategy aims will be possible without Mareel.

 

Mareel is specifically mentioned in the Cultural Strategy, along with the amazing new museum and the very successful 2005 Island Games. (and Mareel will cost significantly less than the museum to build and run.)

 

If the council does believe in listening to individuals and communities, then please stop debating this well-worn topic which has been consulted on, reported on and over analysed. Just get on with supporting it and building it. If the council lose their nerve now and pull out, we will lose the lottery money, and we won’t get another chance to get a cinema, music venue and building for the college to deliver music and media courses from, for at least a decade, and probably never.

 

So councillors, please support this innovative, inspirational project and be proud of Shetland and its culture and creativity. And if any members of the public out there want to add their support, then just drop your councillor an email or give them a call – let’s see democracy in action.

 

Joanne Jamieson, Gulberwick

 

In the very near future, the council is due to consider whether or not to continue its support Mareel , so I urge you to show your support by contacting your councillor. A list of contacts can be found here - www.shetland.gov.uk/coins/allMembers.asp?sort=0

 

A short email really will make a big difference

[marlin13]

While I have no problem with the pricipal of an additional arts venue as I am aware of how heavily the Garrison is used. I do have some difficulties with the current design and scope of Mareel I feel its a more than we need. We also need to consider the large number of halls throughout Shetland which are not used to anything like there full capacity. Someone else mentioned about accoustics and that Burra had sorted it by use of accoustic panels. Well Midyell which used to be terrible has now also significantly improved because of similar modifications, these buildings with modest improvemnt could provide extra capacity at little cost and would also more people to access performances without having neccessarily to travel to Lerwick.

The other major difficulty I have is with the lack of any credible estimates of running cost deficits. That the council agreed to fund open ended losses by Mareel is crazy, especially now when core services are being cut. The use of Mareel for education while a good idea is unlikly to provide the facility with much in the way of funding, although I would be happy to be proved wrong on this point.

[Hollian]

My letter of support is in the post to my local councillors today (and a copy to Kathy Hubbard too).

 

I would email the councillors, but from previous experience I'm not convinced some of them read their emails!

 

I'm not going to go into great detail as to why I support it, briefly:

 

I'm not sporty,

Don't like pubs very much,

Love live music,

Love going to the cinema,

Lack places I can meet friends at the weekend that aren't full of p*ssed people.

[peeriebryan]

We also need to consider the large number of halls throughout Shetland which are not used to anything like there full capacity.

I completely agree that country halls are under utilised now-a-days and there are a multitude of reasons why, including lack of volunteers, tougher licensing laws, tougher health and safety legislation and tougher policing. See the following thread for more info on the demise of the country halls (especially posts by Colin) - www.shetlink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1046

 

There have been moves made to bring together hall committees, local promoters and the police in an effort to work through the problems, so hopefully a compromise can be found.

 

Someone else mentioned about accoustics and that Burra had sorted it by use of accoustic panels. Well Midyell which used to be terrible has now also significantly improved because of similar modifications, these buildings with modest improvemnt could provide extra capacity at little cost....

I’ve played in most Shetland venues and the quality of the acoustics vary enormously between them, from OK to dreadful. The problem is that many venues, particularly country halls, are a collection of hard surfaced boxes (the stage area is a box which fires sound into the main hall box, sometimes with another bar box of to the side). This causes two problems:

 

- The hard walls create large amounts of flutter echo and reverberation. This can, to some degree, be treated with non reflective materials being placed around the walls (drapes, foam tiles etc). Example - http://www.blackcatacoustics.co.uk/case-studies/sound-absorptive-ceiling-treatments/west-hoathly-village-hall-west-sussex.htm

 

- But the main problem inherent with parallel walled rooms is modes, which cause standing waves. A room mode happens when a frequency has a wavelength equal to the room dimensions. For example, if a room has a width of 10 meters, it will produce modes at 34.3, 68.6, 137.2 (etc) Hz. This causes energy to build up between the walls making these frequencies appear much louder and have a much longer reverberation time.

 

The problem is compounded in many country halls due to the large areas of parallel walls. The only ways to minimise this problem is to build tuned ‘traps’ filled with acoustically absorbent materials or use irregularly shaped wall coverings to diffuse the standing waves.

 

The cost of such acoustic treatments can very greatly, depending on the severity of the problems (I heard that the work done to the Mid Yell Hall was a substantial 5 figure sum). For the treatments to be most effective, an acoustics technician first has to analyse the room to identify the problems, which can often be the most expensive part of the process. However, I’ve had some discussions recently with a view to getting halls to club together to bring such a specialist to Shetland and analyse a number of halls over a few days. Local contractors could then fit out the halls to the required specs. (if you're interested, send me a Private Message)

 

In short, a venue with parallel reflective walls can be made to have ‘acceptable’ acoustics for relatively little outlay, but not what would be considered ‘good’ acoustics without considerable expense and extensive building work.

 

....and would also more people to access performances without having neccessarily to travel to Lerwick.

I think the country halls and rural communities will benefit greatly from the venue in Lerwick. When promoters bring bands up to Shetland, due to the inherent costs and logistics, they generally have one gig in Lerwick and another in a rural hall. The country halls also stand to benefit from the general upsurge in musical activity that the venue and its facilities will encourage.

[islandhopper]

... I think the country halls and rural communities will benefit greatly from the venue in Lerwick. When promoters bring bands up to Shetland, due to the inherent costs and logistics, they generally have one gig in Lerwick and another in a rural hall. The country halls also stand to benefit from the general upsurge in musical activity that the venue and its facilities will encourage.

Just for that reason I don't see the country halls and the new venue as "alternatives". If you are right the updating of the country halls should be a MUST ... the more when it could be done at relatively little costs compared with the new project. I don't think that the acts (locals or incomers) would like to play one night within the best environment possible and then to be thrown back to "boxes" the following night ... ... Not being a musician, but I would prefere two gigs in Lerwick's new venue instead ...

[two sheds]

I have the answer to this - visiting artists could play in the Mareel one night & then go to any of our country halls for a game of badmington ...sorted.

 

All halls need to be large & box like to allow this popular game the space it needs!

[Colin]

Interesting comments from PB with respect to acoustics.

 

Country Halls, by their very nature, need to be somewhat 'boxy' as they are multi function buildings. It's not just rock 'n' roll, there's weddings, carpet bowls, meetings, boot sales and a load of other stuff going on as well.

Finding a compromise that suits everyone means having a building that offers maximum available floor space and you can't really do that without having a large parallel walled structure.

 

BBC Radio Scotland came to Scalloway a little while back to record Take The Floor (Robbie Shepherd) and, while they were there, I took the opportunity to have a chat with the sound engineer.

Gained some very useful information.

One thing that he mentioned was that the 'echo' was not nearly as pronounced as he expected from that type of building and that it was probably due to the damping effect of the fibre boards we had fastened around the walls.

Now, these boards were cheap... Total cost of materials to line the walls was less than £300 and that included the paint to match the general colour scheme!!

 

It's not perfect but, for something that we just 'knocked up', it's pretty good. I would expect that a 'pro' to do a much better job with better materials for a not unrealistic sum of money.

 

We also thought about hanging large 'approved' (fire proof etc.) curtains around the walls but, the cost of these was WAY to high. (Keeping them clean would also have been a nightmare)

 

Bottom line:

Every hall in Shetland could probably be sound dampened to an acceptable standard for a small fraction of the £8m or so proposed cost of a music venue and, as a bonus, there would be little or no ongoing running costs at public expense, no need to import expensive experienced(?) and qualified(?) managers and, no need to add to the SIC's £40m(?) pa wages bill..