The New Golden Bell by Mark Worst
Mark Worst is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in mural work, illustration and tattooing. He started out paintings graffiti in his teens and early twenties, constantly pushing his style in search for new ways of self expression. The past few years have seen him travelling the UK USA & Japan completing a variety of large and smaller scale mural works in addition to tattooing.
As part of Yardworks GRID, Mark Worst has been working on the New Golden Bell in Finnieston, creating a mural which reflects the ideas and imagery discovered in conversation with the business owners.
Drum Site Takeover
Over a weekend, several artists worked directly onto poster drum sites in Partick, Yorkhill and Govan to create a series of different temporary artworks.
Fairfields Extension Building
For years the Fairfeilds extension building has been closed and the windows boarded up, lacking colour and life. Its has been a long term goal of many people in Govan to see colour on these boards. In this first phase Yardworks will inject a splash of colour onto the boards, with materials going out to local artists and community groups to fill the rest up, in phase two we will look at how these windows can become a rotational open air gallery celebrating local talent and community spirit.
Expressway Billboards
Through a series of workshops KMG, Alex Maddy Taylor, Molly Hankinson, Michaela McManus and Charlie Joe McDonald worked with several local community groups to involve them in the design of three billboards situated on the expressway by SWG3. The Portal Arts, a group housed by Mears, and local attendees of Partick Annexe attended several different workshops which aimed to include participants in the creation of artworks, building relationships between individuals and encouraging an understanding of public art. This temporary intervention saw three varying designs installed for two weeks and in time for Yardworks Festival.
Purdon Street Mural by Molly Hankinson
Molly Hankinson has been working closely with Partick Annexe and Partick Community Garden over the past few months to include locals in the design process for a new mural on Purdon Street. The mural is inspired by two local women, past and present, and includes a selection of plants and flowers which grow in the community garden. Nicknamed ‘Big Rachel’, the mural is engrained in the community thanks to their invaluable input.
Merkland Court Murals
Yardworks GRID have been working with Partick’s local community to establish the kind of artworks they would like to see installed in the area. Through a series of consultations and community workshops, it was proposed that the existing murals on three gable ends in Merkland Court were replaced with new work that depicts Partick’s heritage, people and wildlife. Artist’s Mark Worst and Voyder created three designs which covered this brief. Mark Worst created a design based on the local nature and wildlife, injecting a splash of colour into the area. Voyder’s design depicts the Lobey Dosser, a character from local comic artist Bud Neill. The two artists then collaborated on the central gable end wall to create a portrait of Merlin, who, as the story goes, originated from Ardrey Street in Partick. These three new murals capture the magic of Partick and it’s rich local history!
Govan Road by Smug One
This mural by Smug on Govan Road, depicts a young girl bending down to pick a daffodil. The daffodil has an interesting connection to Govan thanks to the popularising of the flower by 19th century Govanite and horticulture expert Peter Barr who was known as “Govan’s Daffodil King”. After his death, The Royal Horticultural Society established the Peter Barr Memorial Cup, still awarded annually to those who have done great work in the promotion of daffodils. Additionally, and with a nod to Govan’s world-beating maritime heritage, shipyards feature in the background of this design.
‘The Flock’ by KMG
At the heart of this project, is the aim to celebrate new communities in Govan and wider Glasgow. KMG spent a week working with MEARS and new communities who had just arrived in Glasgow. She designed a series of art workshops which encouraged the families and individuals to explore their personal experience of both Glasgow and their home, channeling positive stories and sharing narratives. The stories they old and the work that they made, inspired this mural on Crossloan Road in Govan. KMG titled this work ‘The Flock’ due to it being inspired by migrating birds. When bird’s environments are under threat or uninhabitable they fly in search of somewhere peaceful to live, where they can protect themselves, each other and their chicks. This mural represents this journey.
Elder Park Mural by Georgia Green
This mural by Georgia Green responded to local histories and local wildlife. Elder Park was gifted to Govan by Isabella Elder in 1885, in memory of her husband, and shipbuilder, John Elder. Elder Park sits on the site of Fairfield Farm and contains the original Fairfield’s Farmhouse, a boating pond, an abundance of wildlife, and at one point had rose gardens which are in the process of being reinstated. Georgia designed a mural for a wall and a shipping container, which are situated on the original site of Fairfield Farm, incorporating flora and fauna which is local to Elder Park. The design was created with the intention of involving the community in the painting process, filling up blocks of colour with pre-made stencils and abstract shapes, which could educate locals on the process of designing and creating a mural.
Sir Alex Ferguson by Frank Carty
Frank Carty, of Artisan Artworks, created this mural of Sir Alex Ferguson on Crossloan Road in Govan. Local people were consulted on who and what they would like to see in the mural, through a series of workshops. It was no surprise that local legend, Sir Alex Ferguson was chosen: he is an icon to many locals for his incredible achievements in football, as well as his pride in being a Govanite . The artwork reflects Elderpark Housing’s desire to encourage local artists and ensure as many people as possible enjoy art right on their doorstep.
Govan Post Office by Kinglisty
As part of Yardworks GRID, the local community of Govan identified sites which were in need of a refresh, one of which was the Post Office on Govan Road. Kinglisty painted this design which reads ‘Get Into Govan’ using a colour palette which was chosen by locals to match with other shop fronts in the vicinity. The clean lines, bold text and limited colour palette were neutral design choices which were determined during conversations with locals.
Protests and Suffragettes Mural
This creative project led by a team of artists, activists, & local historians aims to re-voice the histories of women activists in Scotland, particularly those with links to Govan. Using found imagery, quotes and collage, T S Beall and her team created this paste up mural on Govan Road.