98 years after The Picture Palace on Harbour Street opened its doors to the public, and four years after the last night of the North Star nightclub, demolition is due to begin shortly on this, one of Shetland's iconic buildings. The clashing pinks of its façade are to be replaced with tasteful housing and then only stories and memorabilia will remain.
While some remember the venue for the banging tunes, spinning lights and wild nights of its 18 years as a music venue others will have more moderate recollections of great films that were shown, when people queued the length of Harbour Street to see the most recent cinematic releases.
As the building stands on the brink of obliteration it is timely that from tomorrow an exhibition of photographs at The Pier Store, Museum and Archives in Lerwick will offer a final glimpse of the North Star, condemned and inglorious.
Over the past year Chloe Garrick, Jane Matthews and Emily Sharp have made visits into the building to photograph it in its dilapidated state. Each has photographed it in her own style and this exhibition of images marks the start of a project to keep the memories of this cultural hub alive. The artists invite you to upload your images and comments onto facebook (search: "North Star Project") or leave them in person on the designated wall in the exhibition space where they will be catalogued for use in future events.
The exhibition at the Pier Store runs from 13th August until the 11th September and is open during normal museum hours.