The Wellspring project has not only created a beautiful and poetic public artwork that sheds new light on one of the city’s oldest secrets, but it has also invited local school children to be part of re-imagining the Wells long story. This work has resulted in a new series of ‘devotive offerings’, sculpted by the children themselves, each one carrying a personal wish.
Since Easter, pupils from St Mungo’s Primary School and Royston Primary school have been working hard on Aproxima’s Wellspring Engagement Project, with artist Hannah Brackston. Through weekly workshops P6 and P4/5 pupils have explored themes connected to Glasgow’s heritage, environment and our cultural connections with water. They have been involved in local walks, visits to the Wellspring and museum collections, met archaeologists and explored the Wellspring finds, dug their own pond and created artworks through processes including drawing, collage, ceramics, story making, poetry and play.
The Mobile Foundry Comes to School
One highlight of the project was the opportunity for the pupils to experience the ancient process of metal casting, during a visit to the schools by The Mobile Foundry (a project by Roddy Mathieson). Predating the arrival of St. Mungo on the banks of the Molendinar burn, the process of melting and pouring metals into moulds has revolutionised civilisations, enabling the creation of coins, weapons, jewellery and sculptural forms of representation.
Inspired by the curious and obscure objects and offerings that have found their way to the bottom of the Well over the last decades, each pupil worked with Hannah through a design process, beginning by identifying objects in their own lives that had significance to them, beyond monetary value. Ranging from a childhood teddy to a favourite football and a grandmother’s dress, these became the inspiration for sculpting their own offerings. The pupils went on to develop these further so that their designs reflected one of their own personal wishes. A calculator for a child who wanted to be good at maths, a game console for an aspiring world class gamer and a bunch of flowers for a child who hopes for world peace.
Fire, Bellows and Pewter: Casting the Offerings
Each design was hand carved by the pupils into soft cuttlefish bone and the children worked together to pump portable bellows and melt bars of pewter over a fire, in a crucible, before their moulds were filled. This process connects the pupils to the industrial revolution that re-shaped Glasgow, which brought jobs and population growth, alongside the pollution that pushed some of the city’s natural water sources underground in a bid to restore sanitation and in favour of a ‘progressive city’ dominated by cars.
See the Offerings for Yourself
All 44 sculptural offerings and examples of the children’s other artworks will be on display to the public as part of the Wellspring Exhibition at Glasgow City Heritage Trust, 54 Bell Street, G1 1LQ, throughout August and September.
The new additions will be launching on Saturday 25th July with a day of free creative activities for families alongside The Merchant City Festival.
Drop in between 11am – 5pm where children will be able to use clay to make their own tiles and sculptural offerings inspired by the exhibitions and participate in storytelling and story making.