Carved granite
The initial aspiration of the project was the creation of a large-scale outcome to go on a designated area within the housing estate. From the outset the intention was not to approach the project in this way. With the support of the commissioners and project manager, the concept evolved and the focus moved away from the idea of a single grand gesture. It was much more interesting to see the project as a whole and processes becoming the grand gesture.
However there was still a desire to see something exist on the designated site, a public space situated in the centre of the housing estate on Cooperage Square, underused due, mainly to the traffic running through it.
With this in mind and reflecting on all that had been achieved, the final text piece came out of the themes and concepts that had developed through the project. The context of the site gave a framework for the scale of the sculpture. The intention was to create a piece that could function and be interpreted in several ways. It was a statement and intervention. It was hoped that it might slow the traffic down and encourage people to use the space more. It is an object that can be played on or sat on, one that might facilitate conversation or allow people to gather.
The letters of the text were secured into individual slab foundations. Each slab has a two-word statement carved onto its surface. These two word statements all began with ‘we’ and were followed by a verb - ‘we work’, ‘we try’, ‘we play’ etc. This tied the larger text into a series of small assertions that could be read collectively as a poem.
It was an attempt to convey the feelings and attitudes that had been expressed through the project. Although many of the assertions are common to all, placed in this context they have a specific meaning and come from the residents who worked on the project.
Lead artist
Jason Nelson
Fabrication and installation
Fyfe Glenrock
Invaluable input
Jacqueline Shortland
Eleanor McEwan