Andy Scott’s third sculpture for Clackmannanshire emulates Alloa’s regeneration, was installed on Station Square prior to the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway opening in May 2008.
The sculpture features two figures – an adult wearing a flat cap and a youngster, and creates a focal point at the end of the boulevard.
The figures symbolise the working past of the town, through the adult figure, and the potential future for the town and area, personified by the child. The child in essence rises from the industrial past and looks towards the town.
Andy often incorporates local input in his creations and on this project there were design contributions from St Mungo’s and St Serf’s Primary Schools, as well as Bowmar Community House. A group from the Community House visited Andy’s workshop in Glasgow last year, where they got to see him in action.
The shapes of the sculpture refer to glass blowing and the manufacture of bottles for brewing and distilling. Alloa has been home to a glass works for over 200 years and the existing OI factory is the oldest glassworks in Europe still operating on its original site, while Alloa’s glass cone is the only one left in Scotland.
The work is called ‘Pontils’ after the iron rods on which molten glass is handled when being shaped and worked.
Background
Michael is from Kirriemuir in Angus, trained at Glasgow School of Art and now works from a studio in Portobello. The youngest artist to be elected to the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, his work for Clackmannanshire Council is his first outdoor piece to be realised and a subtle reflection of the industrial heritage of the county.
A second public artwork by sculptor Andy Scott was erected at Muirside roundabout in Tullibody in February 2008.
The sculpture of a striding man, is a partner piece to ‘River Spirit’, which graces Collylands roundabout between Sauchie and Alva.
Children from St Serf’s primary school in Tullibody visited Andy Scott’s workshop and his assistant came to the school to work with the pupils. Many of Andy’s projects comprise educational aspects and he has even incorporated creative input from schools and community groups.
This public art work by internationally renowned sculptor Andy Scott, which features a boy with a fox’s head sitting on a water wheel, was installed in Menstrie’s Midtown Gardens in December 2008.
A number of Menstrie residents were closely involved in the design evolution of the sculpture.
The figure depicts both past and modern Menstrie life. The boy is dressed in current style complete with trainers and hoodie top, while the fox’s head and tail come from two aspects of village life – there are foxes around us in the countryside, but it is also known that in days gone by children in the village kept foxes as pets.
Within the sculpture there is also a buzzard symbolising the pair who live in the woods, and under the boy’s right hand a maple leaf, representing Menstrie’s connection with Nova Scotia.
Andy Scott’s Menstrie sculpture is the fourth to be commissioned by Clackmannanshire Council.
This sculpture was conceived as a tribute to the role of the emergency services and armed forces in society. However, rather than develop a traditional figurative sculpture, Andy Scott once again imbued this artwork with a number of elements and symbols, and referenced figurative influences.
The hand is derived from the gauntlets which appear on the heraldic coat of arms for Clackmannanshire. It is sculpted in a semi-abstract and deliberately angular style, symbolising the uniforms and machinery associated with the military and emergency services, and is lifting the figures in a benevolent gesture of support.
These figures revisit the traditional mother and child motif often found in figurative sculpture. The mother reaches upwards in gesture while holding to the massive hand for support, and the child reaches outwards fearlessly yet holds on to the mother. Is the child offering help or asking for help?
The figures are festooned with stars, symbolising the celestial references of most religions, without implicitly adhering to any particular religion.
Closer inspection reveals the child figure has winged feet, a reference to the classical figure of Hermes and his role as the protector of travellers, appropriate for a sculpture at a busy junction.
This sculpture also incorporates the work of renowned Scottish poet Jim Carruth. His short poem ‘Lifeline’ is a series of phrases which have been laser-cut from steel and welded to the sculpture, and lend the artwork an additional layer of interpretation.
The first of international sculptor Andy Scott’s public art works for Clackmannanshire on the Collylands Roundabout, between Sauchie & Alva, was installed in June 2007.
The sculpture named ‘River Spirit’ depicts a female figure growing out of a trunk base created using a mosaic of steel flat bar segments. Her foliage hands hold woven steel bars in the shape of the River Forth above her head.
While Andy’s sculptures can be admired at dozens of sites, from Glasgow to Australia, the siting of three substantial pieces in close proximity is an unprecedented concentration of his work.
Since graduating from Glasgow School of Art in 1987 Andy has worked across a diverse range of artistic and creative projects. Public sculpture has been at the forefront of his activities, with dozens of commissions completed for a wide client base.
Andy is a figurative sculptor and works in steel and bronze. He combines traditional figurative symbolism and art forms with contemporary fabrication techniques to create iconic sculptures for the public realm.
Rob Mullholland was chosen to design this major piece of public art as part of the Imagine Alloa project, now situated at the top of Alloa High Street.
The sculptures are made from marine grade polished stainless steel which has a highly mirrored surface. Each figure standing at over 2.7 meters and nearly a ton in weight creates its own shape and form.
The polished mirrored profiles constantly alter in appearance as the light and weather changes throughout the day. The mirrored surfaces are slightly distorted, this was intentional as Rob wanted to create a more interesting reflection and to invite the viewer to look into this altered image of their surroundings in a new way.
They are interactive and allow the public to create their own interpretation and meaning. In essence the figures stand passively absorbing and reflecting the people and day to day life of the town, capturing and momentarily recording the constant flow of daily life. The sculptures celebrate modernity change and growth of the town.
This sculpture by Andy Scott was installed on Marywood roundabout, on the outskirts of Clackmannan in August 2009, and gives drivers a fantastic welcome as they enter the county.
The brief was for an artwork which marked the entrance into Clackmannanshire as seen from the new bridge connection and should somehow celebrate that new crossing.
The two figures stand atop two halves of a steel arc which are intended to look as though they are connecting. The figures reach out and make the connection and each holds a symbolic element.
The male figure holds a crown, which is a feature from Clackmannanshire’s heraldic coat of arms. The female holds a draped circle of 23 stars, which represent the flag of the European Union, the suggestion being that Clackmannanshire is welcoming Europe and visitors from the east via the new bridge.
The composition creates an archway which frames the road beyond the roundabout leading into the county.
The Kelpies are 30-metre-high horse-head sculptures featuring kelpies, standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron, in The Helix, a new parkland project and isn’t far from Clackmannanshire.
A tour of the Kelpies can be booked for families or a group.
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