'The Spy Who Went Back to Bricklaying' is a publication which brings together writing by Ned Donaldson and excerpts from a previously unpublished interview between Ned and writer, activist, and 1994 Booker Prize winner James Kelman. A selection of original artefacts relating to Ned’s work and life from Dr. Anni’s Donaldson personal archive can also be found in the vitrines.
It is part of 'Beyond the Forbidden Gate', a body of work by Joey Simons made in response to the latest phase of urban regeneration in North Glasgow.
Produced by Joey Simons for Glasgow Sculpture Studios in collaboration with designer Andrew Brash, the book series 'Beyond the Forbidden Gate' presents a suite of publications that tell previously unpublished and newly commissioned working-class histories, stories, and scripts that centre on North Glasgow.
The Mitchell Library’s Old Glasgow Room was a central gathering point for this project, with the space used by Joey and his collaborators to present archival materials and artworks that investigate the class forces shaping competing visions for North Glasgow. A series of talks, workshops, poetry readings and text-based works will also unfold across public libraries in Springburn, Woodside and Possilpark. These civic spaces, forever under threat, remain a vital space for culture to persist and flower amidst the developers’ plans.
