Craig Barrowman: Castlegate @ Peacock Visual Arts

The enchanting physical presence of the Castlegate’s heritage - complete with eerie Salvation Army tower and mass of old market cobble underfoot - gives way to the modern, and quite unearthly, aspects of Aberdeen’s eastern square today. It’s pretty gritty, despite the colourful shop facades, with plenty of stories to tell.

As the exhibition title suggests, local artist Craig Barrowman has taken the neighbourhood straight on, breaking it down and containing what he perceives to be its very spirit. The first thing that hits is the impending darkness, noticeable from the courtyard entrance. After the first tentative steps it becomes apparent that something massive is sucking most of the light from the room.  A great 3D structure, a giant pebble, obstructs the path. Not quite Boyle family-esque but an impressively constructed piece nonetheless, capable of bullying flinching visitors.

Up the steps is a large, sea-blue satellite dish (matching the walls and pebble in colour) and noise installation relaying the Castlegate’s sounds at a level outwith the normal auditory range, subconsciously absorbed by visitors en route to the gallery. A clever, pleasantly odd presentation on how the Castlegate is really seen as a thoroughfare for most Aberdonians and not normally a point of call. Adjacent is a series of photographic portraits depicting a cross section of the area’s characters. This is where the heart of the Castlegate is best captured with local workers documented.

Overall the pace of this sensory tribute may feel a tad too static, and the artifacts too sparse to recreate many of the realities in the surrounding area. But the karaoke sounded like fun.