The Empire Café
Provoking welcome conversations around land ownership, the history and ongoing effects of empire via cross cultural events, poetry, visual arts, public discussions, sound based works and more.
The Empire Café is currently asking the question, Who Owns the Clyde? The project began as a mapping exercise exploring ownership of the River Clyde, from Glasgow Green to Pacific Quay. The difficulties around mapping ownership led to a public event during Architecture Fringe 2023, a public event and exhibition in the Festival of Rejects 2024, and a three part podcast, Who Owns the Clyde? (Producer Halina Rifai, part one launching June 2024)
The Empire Café was established by Jude Barber and Louise Welsh in 2014 and was part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme.
The café was initially an exploration of Scotland’s relationship with the North Atlantic slave trade through coffee, sugar, tea, cotton, music, visual art, academic lectures, poetry, debate, workshops, historical walks, film and literature. The café was based in the Briggait (home of the Merchant’s Steeple) in Glasgow’s Merchant City and ran from 24th July - 1st August 2014.
Contributors to the programme included poets Jackie Kay, Millicent Graham, Alan Riach and Fred D’Aguiar; authors Andrea Stuart, James Robertson and Chris Dolan, internationally acclaimed artist Graham Fagan, Hip Hop bandStanley Odd, The Big Big Sing and Dr Richard Benjamin of the Liverpool Slavery Museum, plus many more.
The Empire Café commissioned poems from eminent Scottish and Caribbean poets on Scotland and the North Atlantic slave trade which have been published in a print anthology 'Yonder Awa' which was available free of charge when the cafe was open. Poets contributing to the anthology included Kei Miller, John Burnside, Vicki Fever,Dorothea Smartt, Aonghas MacNeacail and others.
The Empire Café served dishes developed through a series of experimental origin outreach sessions using some of the empire’s most familiar products and ingredients as inspiration. Café operator McCune Smith, Bakery 47 andDear Green Coffee all joined this exploration.
The Empire Café was part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding. The Empire Cafe is also supported by The British Council. 'Letter to an Unknown Soldier' and artist Graham Fagen’s new work within The Empire Cafe have been commissioned by 14-18 NOW. The 'Sight Lines' documentary by Genevieve Bicknell has been commissioned by RCHAMS as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
Funders
Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee Glasgow Life Creative Scotland The National Lottery The British Council Edinburgh International Book Festival 14-18 NOW RCHAMS
Awards
2015 Scottish Event Awards, Best Cultural Event
2015 Scottish Design Awards,, Exhibition / Point of Sale - Award
2015 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards, Nomination
