Bank Street Media Labs: Glasgow's boundary-breaking art collective

Bank Street Media Labs, a Glasgow-based multimedia arts collective, have been putting on digital live streams as well as in-person live events since 2022. Ahead of hosting their second ever live gig-meets-exhibition at Stereo on 20 April – their most ambitious project to date – we sat down with the Bank Street committee to find out a little bit more about what BSML is really all about.

“It's supposed to be a network of artists that's kind of straddled between the physical and digital spheres," says co-founder Gavin Steven. "So doing the gig is a physical thing, and then we make it accessible digitally by the live streaming. Then the films are a digital thing, and we make it accessible physically by showing it at the gig as well.”

BSML have been known for foregoing traditional modes of presenting artistic work and playing with different forms of presentation: screens-in-screens, video work embedded within live footage, and live streamed events that rely heavily on audience participation have all been part of their repertoire. They have found their identity in breaking the rules of how art has been traditionally presented, and experimenting with blurring the lines between 'art' and 'content.'

“It's also about digital aesthetics,” explains co-founder Vincent Rabas-Kolominsky. “We look at internet aesthetics and digital aesthetics in general, and also ways you can consume content online. And so we’re kind of connecting these different worlds of digital content to the real world in new, interesting ways.”

The gig at Stereo is part of their latest 'season' of events that stands under the theme of 'Control'. Selkie, k.yalo and Proc Fiskal are on the lineup, with live visuals provided by artist Slide Cancel, aka Bank Street member Stewart Lawson. The collective have been awarded funding by Creative Scotland, which has enabled them to put on an event at a much greater scale than they have before – and to make it free entry, a rarity in the Glasgow gig scene these days.

Image: Blair Kemp.

According to Steven, this was a very intentional choice: “One of the things that we focused on was that we wanted to make the barriers of access as low as possible. The event itself is free to go to, and the livestreaming aspects are free, too. So people can go to the event, but if someone can't come physically, for one reason or the other, they can view it online, and hopefully experience just as much as people who join physically.”

While people are able to watch the gig from afar on the livestream, hosted by co-founder Conor McBride, there is an interactive element to the live event as well. While the three live acts provide a seamless sonic experience, headlined by Proc Fiskal whose set has an energised but almost trance-like quality to it, visitors are also able to engage with the digital installation pieces that are arranged to the left of the bar. Part of a piece by Barcelona-based contributor Othmane Mya involves a camera mirroring a distorted version of the onlooker back at themselves. While the music plays in the background, the audience in turn become a part of the show, breaking down traditional barriers between performer and observer and allowing everyone present to take an active role within the performance rather than remaining a mere spectator.

The theme of 'Control' for the event has influenced the organisation and promotion that Bank Street have been working on as well. As part of the run-up to the event, they asked the performers to submit mixes that fit the brief. “The idea was that if they had a video game based on them or their visual identity, how would that sound? What would the soundtrack be? So that was quite cool to hear what folk put together for that. I could really envision the sort of games their visual world would create,” explains Lawson.

While the event entails all the enjoyment of your typical Sunday night gig, every detail of the organisation has been thought through to the point where more and more layers reveal themselves the more time you spend in the space or speaking to the collective. This energy is clearly visible from the crowd as well, who are floating in and out of the space, always on the hunt for something else to discover while taking in the music. With their unique concept, Bank Street Media Labs have managed to really capture a moment in time and provide a unique multimedia sensory experience for everyone attending, definitely making it a night to remember. After tonight, the collective are planning to take a little bit of a break before tackling some new projects. Watch this space.

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The recording of the April gig will shortly be uploaded to Bank Street Media Labs' YouTube
Until then, follow BSML on Instagram @bankstreetmedialabs