Robinson McIlwaine LLP created as 7,000sqft exhibition space in the ground floor of its new refurbished premises and managed a temporary gallery called ' The Switch Room' for two years with the assistance of Art Consultant Marianne O’Kane Boal creating the name from the former NIE Control Centre usage of the building . The temporary gallery began with an opening exhibition featuring an installation by Oliver and Rory Jeffers using the fascinating contents of the former electrical control centre as its theme. The Switch Room presented a number of important exhibitions including an end of year show from the university art college and a major retrospective exhibition of the work of well known Belfast artist, John Kindness.
In 2007 the practice invited the Golden Thread Gallery (GT Gallery) to take over the exhibition space who under pressure to vacate their previous premises for commercial reasons. The GT Gallery now runs the exhibition space part funded by the Arts Council of NI and supported by Robinson McIlwaine LLP under the direction of Mr Peter Richards. The Gallery has become an important arts, social and community space on the edge of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and within the Docklands area of the city.
