THINK of it as a giant hammock.
A giant hammock that will fill Glasgow's South Brunswick Street for the Merchant City Festival. You will be able to climb on it, lounge on it, and, if you want, explore it.
You might also learn a thing or two. Because in among the hitch knots and constrictor knots you will be able to find the geographical outlines – and maybe the odd story or two – of all 71 countries and territories that make up the Commonwealth.
"It's curious," admits icecream architecture co-director Desmond Bernie, 26, the practice behind The Rope Factory, as the hammock is being called.
"From looking at it you won't get the idea it's a world map. You have to climb on top of it to see."
This is the third-year icecream architecture has attempted to transform the streets of Glasgow. In their first year Mr Bernie and his architectural partner Sarah Frood, 28, took over a car park in Ingram Street, filled it with hay bales and gave people free drinks and somewhere to relax and read the Sunday papers.
In their second year they built a stage on the corner of King Street and Osborne Street to be used by young people, as well as making a crazy golf course out of recycled materials.
Now the two Robert Gordon architecture graduates have come up with their grandest plan yet; one they hope will inform and entertain and involve people from all of the 71 countries and territories represented in the project.
From their temporary base in South Frederick Street they have been knotting and building for a month with another three weeks to go.
Since setting up icecream architecture in 2009 the duo have seen their job as making architecture more approachable and more connected to local communities.
Ms Frood said: "I think it is less that communities don't understand architecture, it's more the architectural world doesn't understand communities.
"It's about people having civic pride and feeling they can change their environment. It's about empowering people to do things for themselves and think more creatively about the things they do have."
For the last year, the pair have been working with Stirling City Council, on a project entitled Start Up Stirling which aims to offer ideas for high street regeneration.
They started by opening a shop, Made in Stirling, as a sales outlet for local artists.
Then they began to look at the wider issues of town regeneration that might allow the high street to offer an alternative to retail in an age of online shopping. What they describe as "experiential" alternatives – from street theatre and street art to getting your hair cut.
Such ideas, though, are not an easy sell in the current economic climate. "That's the difficult thing," admitted Ms Frood. "Rates and rents are something that is hindering the high street across the board and it does need to be reviewed.
"I also think landlords need to realise commercial rents are not viable at present, and rather than properties sitting empty there should be more pressure on landlords to let a space, even if it's not at the desired rent."
The Rope Factory is in its own way another take on these ideas. A chance too, Ms Frood hopes, to reimagine a Glasgow street that at the moment is a "dingy dead end".
And maybe a chance, Mr Bernie believes, for Glaswegians to begin to claim ownership of next year's Commonwealth Games themselves. "I think there's a bit of uncertainty in Glasgow about what the Games are going to do for the city. I'd like to see more positivity. The games are coming."
Ms Frood added: "It's almost about starting to celebrate rather than debate it." Even if you are lying down while you're doing it.
l The Rope Factory will open on Friday July 26 as part of the Merchant City Festival.
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