Mark Boyle is the graphic designer behind the ‘Star Wars in Glasgow’ project – an exhibition that transplants characters and space craft from the ‘Star Wars’ saga into the streets of Glasgow (soon to invade Edinburgh too). We asked him to share some reflections on his exhibition and the ‘Star Wars’ series as a whole.
When did you first get into 'Star Wars' - were you on board from the beginning?
I can’t remember my first experience of 'Star Wars', it was so long ago. It has always been a staple of my imagination since I was old enough to understand it, even before I knew exactly what was going on in the films. ‘A New Hope’ was released a year before I was born, and somewhere between ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’ my imagination and soon-to-be fantasy-filled mind was prepped for hyperspace and we were off. As children we argued over who was going to be Luke or Han, who was going to be on the ‘baddies’ side; we used sticks as lightsabers, pretended to move things with the Force, drew pictures of space battles. I used my pencil to draw lines that were meant to be laser beams and destroyed the other sides’ space ships by scribbling over them as if they had just blown up! Then it happened... It was Christmas. I was six years old and Santa brought me an X-wing. You cannot imagine what that morning was like for me, running around the living room of the little one bedroom tenement on Oban Drive that my mum, sister and I called home, arm in the air holding my new ship as high as I could, making whooshing sounds as I flew through the galaxy fighting the forces of evil. Game’s a bogey... I was hooked!
Mark Boyle
Aside from the 'Star Wars in Glasgow' exhibition, do you think the series or even sci-fi in general has influenced your design work in less explicit ways?
I think it'd be wrong to say that I haven’t been influenced by ‘Star Wars’ and sci-fi when it comes to creativity. Most of what intrigues you and captivates you as a child stays with you as an adult, and as with everything there are varying degrees. Imagination is one of the biggest tools you can have as an artist, no matter what your medium, and I definitely learned that from a young age. I do have to focus and leave my personal taste to the side a great deal, although I draw on it for inspiration and indulge it when I can, but as a designer I have to consider the requirements of the client. It’s not always my first preference but it’s all part of the gig, I do the best I can for each client to deliver what they are looking for.
Mark Boyle
Can you tell us a bit about the other artists' work at the exhibition and how they got involved?
As the Operations and Marketing director of BHP Comics, Scotland’s leading independent comic book publisher, I'm part of the team that delivers Glasgow Comic Con (GCC) every year. The other artists I've asked to join me as part of the ‘Star Wars in Glasgow’ exhibition are close friends of GCC, and part of what I like to think of as my extended family within the Glasgow comic book scene. As this exhibition is the first of its kind for me, I wanted to ask artists that I knew and trusted to deliver their own take on the subject that has been such a big part of my life for so long.
Sha Nazir, a designer and artist, is my business partner in BHP Comics. He is a very humble, understated artist and self-confessed ‘Trekkie’ and will be serving up some of his very unique and quirky style of humour as he looks at amusing ways to play with the ‘Star Wars’ characters. I have previewed one finished piece so far and let’s just say that there is going to be a bit of ‘Star Trek’ crossover involved.
Neil Slorance is one of my favourite comic book artists around at the moment, with a very distinctive style. I commissioned him to do a piece for my girlfriend's birthday and it is absolutely fantastic. I have not seen what he is producing yet for the exhibition, but I am confident that his brand of watercolour artwork will be outstanding. As I am such a big fan of his work, I absolutely had to ask him to be a part of this.
I love this little guy #starwars pic.twitter.com/CeCEk92Fys
— Neil Slorance (@neilslorance) August 13, 2015
Mike Lawson is a prop and replica builder and also a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan. When I brought up the idea of the exhibition with him I thought he was going to fall over with excitement about it! His company, What You See Here, will be displaying various props and replicas from the films including a life size costume of a Tusken Raider (one of the sand people from ‘A New Hope’).
As I said earlier, having people on board that I know, respect and trust was a must from the beginning.
Mark Boyle
What sort of experience are you aiming to provide with the exhibition - having it in a bar already suggests it won't be your average art show…
When you enter the Variety Bar during the event, it's going to be clear from the outset that you're in an environment very different to a typical art exhibition. From the Tusken Raider costume staring at you to the original toy ships hanging from the roof, lightsabers and helmets behind the bar, original figures on display, footage of a speeder bike traveling around Glasgow, unique artwork and images of ‘Star Wars in Glasgow’, through to a life-size Han Solo in carbonite, and coupled with one of the most atmospheric and friendly bars in Glasgow, you will have a unique experience waiting for you.
'Star Wars in Glasgow' is most definitely not going to be your average art exhibition. It is going to be about reminiscing, remembering toys that you had when you were a kid, having a beer and geeking out about the artwork, toys and props on display.
Mark Boyle
George Lucas has received a fair bit of criticism for continuing to tinker with the saga - where do you land on the debate? Should he have left well enough alone or is it his project to do with as he pleases?
It's a subject that keeps arising and is talked about with each new film release. Should Lucas leave them alone? Personally I quite enjoyed seeing the extended versions, including originally cut footage (for example Jabba talking to Han in the hangar before they take off from Mos Eisley) that was edited for cinematic release, albeit re-imagined with CGI but good to see nonetheless. At the end of the day, the films are released and if you don’t like them you can watch the original cuts; it’s really not a big issue for me.
Do you think JJ Abrams is a good choice to pick up the reins? Between this and the 'Star Trek' movies, is he cornering the geek market?
I’m really looking forward to the new films and I think Abrams is a fantastic choice for director, as he made a great job of the ‘Star Trek’ films. He's of the age where he'll have grown up with the original trilogy, and his team will be made up of people in a similar position. Could you imagine: ‘A new project has come in guys – we’re making the new "Star Wars" films!’ What would it be like, working on a series that may have been responsible for you entering a career in the film industry? There has to be more than a couple of people like that on his team. The trailers look great but I’m doing my best to stay away from as much of the press on it as possible which. December cannot come quickly enough!
Mark Boyle
How did you feel about the prequel trilogy? And does that have any bearing on what you're thinking about 'The Force Awakens' and beyond?
The prequels had their good and bad points. There were things that I really liked about them and things that I didn’t, which I can say about the original films also. ‘Star Wars’ is bigger than just the original three films; there've been numerous storylines explored in comic books, video games, novels and TV. I get why the original films have such a place in the hearts of the fans, but to an extent the die hards can sound like someone born in the 1940s talking about modern music: ‘You young people don’t know what music is!’ Again, regardless of how you feel about the prequel trilogy, they do exist and if you don’t like them you don’t have to watch them, it’s pretty simple!
I think that as far as ‘The Force Awakens’ and beyond is concerned, we'll be entering the third grouping of films – the originals, the prequels, and then whatever the new films will come to be known as.
Mark Boyle
Finally: who shot first, Han or Greebo?
Depends which cut you watch.
Star Wars in Glasgow – Episode V, Variety Bar, September 18-October 22. Star Wars in Glasgow – Edinburgh Invasion, Capital Sci-fi Con, Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, February 27-28 2016. You can check out more of Mark's work on his website and Facebook page.
See more film on Time Out Glasgow.