the Art of Living, Reputations, Castlemilk
10 May 2007
New permanent artwork in a public space, created by artist Edwina fitzPatrick in collaboration with Castlemilk residents, environmental and biodiversity experts for Holmbyre Woods, Glasgow, Scotland
Photocall Opportunity: 24 May 2007
Public Launch Event: 25 May 2007
In November 2005, Castlemilk Environment Trust commissioned London based artist Edwina fitzPatrick to create the Art of Living to transform an area of the Holmbyre Woods in Castlemilk, Glasgow, as part of the Reputations art programme. The woods are located in the site between the local crematorium and local graveyard, leading Edwina to use the still taboo subjects of human mortality and death as the starting point for her commission. The Art of Living’s emphasis has been very much about celebrating and reinforcing people’s sense of vitality.
Throughout the 18 month project, the artist has worked closely with local residents and environmental and biodiversity experts from across Scotland to create a unique Blood-Chlorophyll labyrinth, which acts as a spiral pathway into the newly created woodland walks.
The design of the Art of Living labyrinth combines a classic seed design with the shape common to both chlorophyll and blood molecular cells – a metaphor for the profound links that humans share with plant life. The haemoglobin in our blood is identical to chlorophyll in trees – the only difference is that the core element of this molecule for us is iron, and for plants and trees it is magnesium. A Sorbus Embley tree grows at the heart of the Blood-Chlorophyll labyrinth at the exact point where two underground streams intersect. The leaves of this species of tree are green in summer, but in autumn they turn blood red. Embedded in the labyrinth walls are 100 texts, tags and drawings made by local residents.
The Art of Living project re-introduces wild plants which are becoming less common or have died out completely in the local area. The plants are all of local provenance, and were grown from seedlings in the project’s own Growing Space. This was a wild plant nursery, set in the middle of housing on Holmbyre Road, created as part of the project, as a space for local residents to meet with the artist, learn about plant life, and generate ideas about how the woodlands could be transformed. It is hoped, as a legacy from the Art of Living, that the space will become an allotment for local gardeners.
The artist Edwina fitzPatrick is Course Leader for the BA. Fine Art Course at Wimbledon College of Art, London. Her work uses a playful approach to investigate the concepts of origins, nature, and nurture. Her artworks involve plantlife and biodiversity, both as subjects in their own right and as metaphors for support systems and vulnerability. Her practice is inclusive and collaborative, working with experts across a range of disciplines including science, horticulture, perfumery and music, as well as people who are experts in their own locality. The resulting work is presented in both galleries and on site. Recent projects include The Orchid Collection (ongoing) and Arboreal Laboratory (exhibition and publications) for Stour Valley Arts. Previous gallery exhibitions include the Whitechapel Art Gallery, the Arnolfini and the ICA.
Commissioned on behalf of the Castlemilk Environment Trust, this project is the second to be completed as part of the Reputations Public Art Commission Programme. Reputations has been designed by Jason E. Bowman and Rachel Bradley, the team who were the curators for Scotland at the Venice Biennale 2005.
Historically, Castlemilk has been labeled as a challenging neighbourhood. However, since its 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.
Holmbyre Wood, Castlemilk, Glasgow
www.maps.google.co.uk, ref G45 9QD(intersection of Holmbyre Road and Blaeloch Drive).
Please login to leave comments.