GORBALS PUBLIC ORCHARD
A PUBLIC ORCHARD IN THE GORBALS
The Rose Garden /Old Burial Ground, Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland
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Planted 2004
I was commissioned by the Artworks Programme on behalf of The Crown St Regeneration Project to produce a public artwork as part of the redevelopment of Queen Elizabeth Square, Gorbals. I proposed the planting of a public orchard in a small, central park, once an old burial ground.
Supported by the local community council and in collaboration with Glasgow City Council the orchard is maintained by a small constituted group, with myself as the main coordinator for the last 10 years. The apples, damsons and berries are regularly picked by local people throughout the year. Alongside basic care the group also instigates various orchard related, educational activities.
The orchard has been recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society, receiving an ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Outstanding Award and a ‘Certificate of Distinction’ in 2014, following the orchards 10th Year Open Day.
In 2016 the organisation 'Urban Orchard Project' has taken on the task of restoring the orchard, with a number of pruning workshops and local educational events.
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Links
https://www.facebook.com/RoseGardenOrchard
http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/10795442/PDF_The_Orchard.pdf
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2004
2016
More Reading
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Morris, NJ 2011, 'The Orchard: cultivating a sustainable public artwork in the Gorbals, Glasgow' Cultural
Geographies, vol 18, no. 3, pp. 413-420., 10.1177/1474474011405118 , Edinburgh University Research Publication
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ARCADE Artists and Place-making; Black Dog Publishing, 2006, pp 25 -31.
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Links
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http://www.mypark.scot/parks/gorbals-rose-garden-glasgow/
http://sacrificialmaterials.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/marks-of-time-v.html
http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/10795442/PDF_The_Orchard.pdf
http://crownstreetresidentsassociation.weebly.com/gorbals-orchard.html
http://helpingbritainblossom.org.uk/seed-tree-festival-glasgow/
http://www.commongoodfood.org/whats-on/seed-and-tree-festival
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BRIGHTON RD
Brighton Rd wasteland
Wild Plant Blocks - Planted 2015
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This pilot scheme introduced a sustainable planting project in central Glasgow, with the aim of transforming a large stretch of post demolition wasteland into an ecologically productive, valuable resource. The key objective was to demonstrate how we can support biodiversity as well as achieving wide, public appeal.
My design took the form of 4 parallelogram blocks across the site, inbetween which the existing grass is mown. The wild plants introduced were a collection of grassland flowering plants and grasses suitable for the area.
The project was proposed by myself to Glasgow City Council in January 2015 and led onto being funded and managed by the Wheatley Group with their group partner, Glasgow Housing Association. I designed and coordinated the practical realisation of the planting and its maintenance with GHA and the Wheatley group.
Large-scale seed distribution took place on site in April 2015 and is currently maintained by myself in collaboration with Glasgow Housing Association.
Seeds supplied by Scotia Seeds
YELLOWFIELD
YELLOWFIELD
Brazen Head wasteland, Glasgow, Scotland
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Collaborative project with University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow City Council / Stalled Space Funded.
Temporary Planting 2015
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This was a temporary landart and landscape initiative called YELLOWFIELD at University of Strathclyde’s Mobileland site, off Laurieston Rd, in central Glasgow. YELLOWFIELD started on the 1st of May 2015 with the planting of 200 sunflower seedlings and it was completed in November 2015 once the plants have past their annual lifespan.
The project was proposed by myself to the Urban Redevelopment department of Glasgow City Council in January 2015 and led on to become a pioneering initiative led by The University of Strathclyde. Dr Cristian Suau (Architecture); Dr Christine Switzer (Civil & Environmental Engineering) and myself (external landscape artist & gardener) were the main team. With the support of Glasgow City Council, Yellowfield showed how working with and managing nature on brownfield sites can create not only more attractive and biodiversity directed environments but can also be hugely productive in other ways.
In synchronicity with Green Glasgow 2015 the project discussed two environmental and sustainability ideas. Firstly, the transformation of urban space that was otherwise unused and uncared for, into useful, ecologically productive land. Secondly, how the planting of sunflowers can be highly effective in combating serious urban environmental concerns. This project focuses in particular on Phytoremediation, outlined below.
Phytoremediation
Sunflowers are a very effective plant for cleaning soils contaminated with industrial waste. It is being seen around the world as a clean, cost effective and environmentally friendly way to reclaim and reuse land. Sunflowers are being used because of their quick growth and size and their visual appeal. The sunflowers take in the toxins from the soil as they would nutrients, at the end of the year’s growth the plant is removed from the site and destroyed.
Links
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https://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/architecture/news/thesunflowergardenatmobilelandinthegorbals/
https://mobilelandglasgow.wordpress.com/
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13628529.Sunflowers_turn_brownfield_into_green_site/
