Free at last

Sheila Adamson

2004

I went to the opening of the Scottish Parliament today. 9th October 2004, a wee moment of history. It was the first time Id seen the building properly, even though theyve been building it round the corner from me for the last however many years. Now the hoardings and cranes and cement mixers have been cleared away and in their place we suddenly have ponds, grass and this big, weird collection of architecture. Its certainly different. Not sure if I like it yet. Not sure at all.

I read what the architects widow says about it and sometimes I feel I know what shes getting at and sometimes I feel shes on a different planet. She said the building was trying to disguise the fact that it had to have walls. As if walls were a bad thing for a building to have. She said it wasnt a rigid hierarchical structure but looser, like boats in a harbour. Doesnt she think that Scottish politics is quite disorganised enough? She said she and her husband wanted to give the Scottish people something that lives up to the hundreds of years weve had to wait. To me the building feels very un-Scottish. That may prove to be no bad thing; maybe we need to change. ... (continues)