Thirty-two Texts Concerning Different Spaces is a new artwork by Irineu Destourelles, commissioned by Many Studios as part of the development of the former Cumberland Street Station. The project envisions the transformation of a heritage site in the gorbals as a new cultural hub, led by Many Studios and New Practice. ‘Thirty-two Texts Concerning Different Spaces’ considers the future use of the building as a public space.

Being a migrant, Irineu Destourelles engages in an ongoing process of consciously and subconsciously layering old memories—both good and bad—onto new spaces as a way of developing a sense of belonging. In his text-based moving image work, Destourelles wrote short texts that interweave autobiographical episodes with his experiences of public spaces in Glasgow, where he lives—places such as libraries, supermarkets, and cemeteries.

In the development of the work, the artist reflected on existing studies - a comprehensive feasibility study, community engagement and consultation, genealogical and industrial heritage of the building and wider area - and is loosely informed by research carried out by the artist in the National Library of Scotland, specifically film archive on urban regeneration projects led by Glasgow City Council in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in then predominantly working class areas such as the Gorbals. Accompanying the flow of text is a soundtrack composed from video-game sounds, referencing how the digital increasingly determines our experience of the built and natural environment.