Moving to Level 4
At 6pm on Friday 20 November, Glasgow and part of the west of Scotland will move into level 4, with more severe restrictions to suppress the transmission of COVID-19. Over the past couple of days, we have been trying to get our heads around what this means for us at The Work Room. And while there are aspects of the government direction which is clear, as you dig into it there are nuances and interpretations that we have been tussling with.
In taking these decisions, we have tried to be guided by a duty of care – for each other and those around us. I wanted to share here, how we are approaching the next three weeks. While Tramway will once again be closed to the public, there will be a skeleton staff in the building enabling some permitted activity to continue. This is set out by the Scottish Government as:
‘Broadcasts, recordings and to rehearse and otherwise prepare for re-opening permitted, with 2 metre physical distancing and hygiene measures in place and if the venue can comply with the requirements specified in this guidance’.
This enables us to continue with some artist residency activity in the studio. However, we have also given consideration to the Travel Restrictions that come into force from 6pm on Friday 20th November and have made the decision to pause any of our programme that requires people to travel from outwith Glasgow city council boundaries.
Earlier this month, we made the decision to postpone the residencies at Nethy Bridge that Amy Rosa and Jian Yi where scheduled for as part of their Artists Research Bursaries. With the Highlands in level 1, it did not feel responsible to go ahead with these at this time.
In reaching these decisions, we greatly appreciate the support, flexibility and understanding of all the artists who are being impacted by these latest changes. We are committed to honouring all fees and we will endeavour to reschedule postponed residencies when we are in position to do so with confidence for the safety of everyone involved.