Hamilton Mausoleum competition

An image projected on a wall, an underpass, or even the interior of a dome has a dual existence. The first is as surface, gauze or veil. The second creates a space of depth, acting as a portal between temporal and physical worlds. Projection is transformative, facilitating communication; uncovering historic, geographic, social and aesthetic narratives.

In 2020 The Glasgow Institute of Architects held an ideas competition for the future of the Hamilton Mausoleum, Hamilton, Scotland. The mausoleum, a Category ‘A’ listed structure, was built by the 10th Duke of Hamilton (between 1848 and 1852) in the estate of the (now demolished) Hamilton Palace.

Our proposal was not a built intervention but a template for an event: a series of projections in and around the environment of the estate, as a starting point for discussions on the future (and past) of the mausoleum. The projected content included images of the former palace, treasures from the family’s art collection, and images from their plantations in the Antigua and their coal mines in Scotland, as reminder of the sources of their wealth.

We were interested in finding correspondences between the projections and their chosen locations, and engendering interaction with both visitors and passers-by. We were fascinated by the proximity of our everyday world to the stories of the past, in particular to those of the family Daniel Defoe described as ‘great possessors.’