MESH Please

Who are you!?

We are the Mesh Collective - currently consisting of four pals with big visions and dreams for Glasgow’s arts, music and party scene. Between us we have many years of experience throwing free parties, making music and art, DJing, dancing, community-organising and doing everything we can to bring loving joy and entertainment to our own lives and the lives of everyone we meet.

What do you want!?

We want [money for] physical space in the city of Glasgow to serve as a community hub, creative hotbed and springboard for the music, art and culture that makes life in this world feel vibrant and worth fighting for. A place where artists, musicians, dancers and beautiful souls of every colour and stripe can throw their creative juice into the collective cauldron, spreading the vibrations our revolutions will need.

We’ve started renting a space south of the river. Mesh. It’s not big, but it’s big enough to get going with. We’ve hatched a plan to build a recording studio within it, make the space fit to get cozy and hang out without being rinsed for cash, and throw some warm financially accessible events - think music, dance, films, popular education, plotting, meetings, meditation and more.

We need money to bring this vision to life.

For who and how will Mesh be run?

It will be a not-for-profit, cooperatively run space. The primary motive for creating Mesh is to provide some creative infrastructure to some nascent communities existing and forming around Glasgow. We therefore hope to make the recording studio and wider space accessible to people who might otherwise lack access to these facilities. We also want everyone who works to keep the space functioning, or in sharing their skills with wider audiences in the space, to be paid well for their time and talent.

Luckily, we managed to secure cheap rent on the space for the first five years, so the fixed running costs should be relatively low (depending on our leccy bills etc). To cover these, and other running costs, we expect to raise revenue through charging a sliding-scale usage of the recording studio, hiring out the space for some low-capacity events, throwing some ticketed events ourselves, and asking people for donations whenever they’re helping themselves to freebies like food and drinks or using it for holding meetings or as a hangout space.

Our hope is to be able to cover our costs and generate a small surplus to ensure the financial stability of the space, with any extra surplus (“profits”) going back into the facilities and equipment, reimbursing (without interest) those who lent money to get us started, supporting fresh artists, or other parts of our broader mission to bring big energy and joyful vibes to our collective lives. We also envisage looking periodically into grant funding that would enable exciting projects and artist residencies to launch and flourish.

As a collective we are strictly cooperative, meaning we make decisions democratically with no formal hierarchy and a commitment to limiting informal hierarchies that inevitably emerge whenever strong characters come together to share their passions. We expect the collective to expand beyond the four of us as the workload and need for wider input expands once the space is up and running.

We also intend to experiment with structures for wider community involvement in decision-making over the running and programming of the space, as well as in facilitating non-monetary forms of exchange for usage of services and facilities provided by or within Mesh, hopefully widening access and getting us one small step towards feeling truly free in our labours, love and passions.

What do you want the money for and why?

The place was a damp and mouldy mess when we took it on. To get it up to scratch is going to take a lot of materials and work. The following is our “minimum” to-do list before the space can start functioning as we envisage:

• Wiring the electric
• Damp proofing and sound insulation
• Getting a decent door for security and sound insulation
• Fitting an additional toilet or two so we don’t spend half our time queuing whenever there’s an event on, making them a bit less grim, and making sure the sink is plumbed in at the best place
• Building a sound-proofed recording studio within the space, and acquiring equipment we don’t yet have
• Fitting a ventilation system
• Fitting a floor worthy of our great dancers
• Preparing a wall for exhibiting visual art
• Coming up with heating solution
• Getting an incredible vibey lighting system set up
• Fitting some kitchen/bar tops, with fridges and the like
• Facilities and furnishings and decor

We reckon if we raise £10,000 we’ll at least be able to get all of this to a point where the recording studio’s up and running and we’re throwing some decent fundraisers in the space. But every little helps…

Alright, sounds great, but if I give you money, what do I get out of it?

You will be contributing to alternative, non-corporate music and arts spaces in Glasgow which value our people and culture. You’ll also get a warm invitation to Glasgow’s vibeyest recording studio and community hangout spot. 

However, as if that wasn’t enough, we do have some offers for those giving generously to the cause. Everyone who donates anything, will be entered into a raffle organised by Robbie with unbelievable prizes! In addition, those donating the following amounts will have an opportunity to redeem the following offers.:

• If you donate £25, we offer you the chance to give Ben a wet willy, on a specific day of his choosing:
• If you donate £50, we offer you a 20-minute shoulder and back massage from Dan (probably on the same day Ben’s getting wet willies):
• If you donate £100, we offer you a limited edition Mesh t-shirt or jumper designed by Hannah
• If you donate £300, we offer you an invite to a one–to-one workshop on DJing or music production run by Ben.  
• The first person to donate £500 will receive original artwork donated to the crowdfunder, which the artist advises would usually sell for £750!
• If you donate £500, we offer you a saucy calendar of members of the mesh collective in their finest
• If you donate £1,000, we offer you “honoured guest” status at the grand opening of mesh - you will not spend a penny and you will be treated very, VERY well... or we'll make you a music video... or... whatever. Come talk to us (Please... :))
• If you donate £2,000, we will throw you a “free”-party…will all the frills (terms and conditions apply)

THANK YOU

For all your support. We’re so hyped to get this going but as a community space it won’t be anything without every one of you who gets involved, either with donations or time, ideas and creative energy.