Art Sculpture Moving Image
55 degrees north, 4 degrees west
'Traveller, the road is made by walking it'.
55 degrees north, 4 degrees west
Govan Cross Lead Artist
Community engagement
Granite pavement engravings, banners and The Govan Timeline.
55 degrees North
4 degrees West
Angels outside Govan Underground Station are based on winged beings holding conch shells on a pediment in a building at Govan Cross.
Wooden scaffolding around a boat.
Thirty four granite engravings in the paving at Govan Cross, the Underground and the shopping centre. The images describe a a geographical, social and historical picture of Govan beginning with its global coordinates and following the course of its birth as a rural river village.
Images highlight Govan's original importance as a seat of ecclesiastical and royal power as well as its valuable collection of stone carving and sculpture.
The engravings describe Govan's early cottage industries of weaving, fishing and farming and defining moments and movements such as when Govan people went to fight in the Spanish Civil war and its strong connection to Trade Unions through workers and leaders such as Jimmy Reid.
Govan's inspirational Rev. George MacLeod, founder of the Iona Community, is referenced through the text of a prayer.
Images chart the development of Govan's boat building history from early fishing coracles to the boats of the Vikings to the opening of the burgeoning industrial boatyards, working with complex wooden scaffolding, to the construction of contemporary ships with modern methods.
'In harmony we all shall live and share the earth together' -the quote by Robert Burns is both a nod to Govan's Harmony Row and a vision of Govan's future as a culturally rich and diverse modern centre. The idea was born out of the community consultation.
Three of the stones are made of spirals of text in different languages, each saying 'Here I am'. The languages range from the earliest spoken in Govan, such as Latin and Welsh, to more recent languages, like Italian and Chinese. The stones represent a language evolution of Govan.
Based on Hildegard von Bingen's vision of The Universe
Image from Govan Sarcophagus
'The very atom is light energy, the grass is vibrant, the rocks pulsate'
Rev. George Macleod
'Traveller, the road is made by walking it'.
Based on a poem by the Spanish poet, antonio Machado. The angels are based on stained glass in Govan Old Parish Church. Engravings outside Govan Underground station.