Reputations : Castlemilk, Glasgow

Phase One of the Reputations project is now complete

'A Thread', a new public artwork has been created by artist Esther Shalev-Gerz and citizens of Castlemilk for Castlemilk Park, Glasgow. 

'A Thread' was officially launched on 9 September by Graham Berry, Chief Executive of the Scottish Arts Council and Councillor Bailie Christine Devine, Deputy Lord Provost of Glasgow City Council.

'A Thread' has been three years in development.  During this time, Esther and her team have worked with 10 local groups to articulate their aspirations for a future vision for Castlemilk.

Castlemilk historically has been labelled as a challenging neighbourhood.  Though at the same time, since it's development from the 1950s onwards, Castlemilk has also been recognised as a self-determined community that has invested in the management of its own change. 

In the development of 'A Thread' the citizens of Castlemilk have participated in designing individual roof canopies and actively selecting the sites for 10 new shelters to be positioned in the Castlemilk Park.  A diverse range of Castlemilk’s residents participated in the project – Healthy Castlemilk; WAVES (Women against Violent Environments); Churches Together; ATOMIC (Action Towards Open Minds In Castlemilk); Castlemilk Youth Complex; volunteers and kids from Castlemilk Environment Trust; The Jeely Piece Club; Castlemilk Refugee Centre; Streetwise © and COJAC (Caring Operations Joint Action Council).

The shelters have been designed with circular seating that allow the users to choose to look out and to become a part of the vista or to sit facing inwards in order to be in close dialogue with others.

The canopy roofs, each printed with a collaborative design refer to the notion of ceiling frescoes creating an echo to the Castlemilk House, a stately mansion established in the neighbourhood in 1460 on the site.

An imaginary line from shelter to shelter runs throughout the entire park to form 'A Thread'  - from past to present, from present to future, from person to person, a thread that links all ages, that brings the community together.

To develop a conduit that allows citizens to actively configure their identities in public space and select where the shelters are to be sighted highlights the rarity of our capacity to make choices in terms of how public spaces are managed and controlled beyond the means of the average citizen.

Grace Lamont from the Jeely Playzone said:    'The kids are really looking forward to seeing it (the shelters) happening after such a long project, it is something quite different for them to get involved with and they really liked meeting Esther'.

'A Thread' is the first permanent, solo sculptural work to be installed in a public space by Shelav–Gerz in the UK.  Her seminal, disappearing Monument Against Fascism, created in collaboration with Jochen Gerz for the city of Hamburg and her latest permanent video installation First Generation in Sweden are only some examples of her internationally recognised practice.  Her practice investigates the relationships between cultural memory, citizenship and public space.  For over 25 years she has developed works that examine the complex nature of transition in physical and social environments and how this impacts on the transformation of citizens’ identities and influences history.

Shalev-Gerz’s project has incorporated a collaborative process with the Israel-based architect Ayelet Shalev who designed the shelter and with a cross-discipline internship scheme that brought together students from the Schools of Fine Art and Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art.

Commissioned on behalf of the Castlemilk Environment Trust, this project is the first of two phases to be completed as part of the Reputations Public Art Commission plan.  The second commissioned artist, Edwina Fitzpatrick is currently developing a project ‘The Art of Living' in Castlemilk.  The Growing Space, the first stage of the Art of Living project, has been created in order to grow native wild plants and flowers, some of which have already died out in Castlemilk, which will be planted in the Holmbyre Wood. 

As well as growing plants the project is also hoping to 'grow' ideas to transform the Holmbyre Woods.  The Growing Space is where this debate will take place with local residents.  The planting project will be completed in Spring 2007.  The Growing Space can be found on Holmbyre Road, in Castlemilk.  For more information or to get involved contact the Castlemilk Environment Trust on 0141 630 1919.

Reputations has been funded with the help of National Lottery funding through the Artists Work in Public Spaces Scheme, and Glasgow City Council’s Department of Culture and Leisure Services.