Finale Atypical Root

SUNDAY 2ND MAY 2010: 12-5: The Launch of the Govan Armada, Bike-So-Cool, and an exhibition at the Govanheim. Riverside Hall

The Bike-So-Cool convoy, left at 12 noon from David Dale Gallery (Bridgeton) travelled through town via GI exhibitions to reach Clydebrae Street for the Launch of the Govan Armada

I don’t know where to begin, this was an amazing event, not just in the day but also in the totality of the concept to celebrate and draw attention to life along the Clyde.

I went down to the launch and it was buzzing with kids, parents, and volunteers, around these super cool boats that were made out of the refuse collected from the river, they had a message of hope (message in a bottle) element and were ceremoniously launched into the Clyde via a dingy and celebrated by the creators and admirers along the shore.

The Bike so cool rode in from their cycle trip from the David Dale Gallery to Clydbrae, which traced the entire Atypical Root project via their bikes.

I really did not understand the Atyp project until I went to this event and then walked

home along the Clyde. I had previously explored events by Atypical Root earlier in the festival, but nothing impacted me as much as this day. There is virtually a wasteland between the Armada launch and the BBC, which is a good 20-minute walk between.

There is amazing architecture surrounding the Clyde as well as obvious neglect and overall run-down apathy toward the community and the history that have somehow met and found themselves suffering from the same kind of indifference.

This weighed heavy on me as I walked home, which is the West End, posh indeed. As I

was crossing the millenium bridge, dead center in the middle was a stencilled graffiti. Intentionally placed and intense; was it salvation or the end? Desperation.. The message said

I have just prayed to a God I don’t believe in.

Ironically someone pencilled in an S in front of Prayed which actually didn’t change it that much for me, sprayed or prayed both acts of intimacy, desperate for attention or intervention. At least Sprayed implies the planting of seed even if it was meant as a lude gesture. The Irony is absolutely as aloud as can be.

I can’t help but think of  Modern Terra  by Allison Gibbs and Christoph Büchel New Commission work a t Tramway. As much as those works affected me I couldn’t help but think “who needs installation when you can go to Govan and experience it first hand, without any pre-conception”. I suppose that’s the point without someone pointing out what’s going on, no one sees it.

What a state of affairs. I have been inspired and I hope to do a follow up with some of the heads behind Atypical Root. I believe this kind of project and some attention could make a significant impact on this landscape, and that is what Glasgow needs, on so many levels.

Schema by Helen Shaddock

Atypical Root: Kate V Robertson, A Stone’s Throw: The Govan Beacon, Sam Stead, Anthony Shrag

Cleansing the House With Ink; Ricefield Gallery

Che Camille is located on the 6^th floor of the Argyle Arcade; there homes a workshop for designers and a shop floor featuring custom clothing, jewellery, accessories and has created a space for artists to exhibit their work. It is like a candy shop filled with beautiful things, textures and curiosities that beg to be worn and lusted after.

Helen Shaddock has created new work for her solo exhibition titled Schema.

Grace and Divide

Shaddock has created intricate drawings, a product of exploring two conflicting states of being rigidity and spontaneity. Out of a collection of Shaddocks obsessive collection of photographs of lines, stripes, colour and repeated patterns, she has applied a process of drawing to bring order, and refinement.

Shaddock has produced visually elegant places by constructing a delicate architectural like measurement, to something that occurred naturally within her milieu. She has applied order and re-organization, layering and marrying two disparate means of process that would seemingly be in conflict but have created a new landscape and space for the eye and mind to investigate.

First Tiger were playing for our browsing pleasure. We liked them alot!

Atypical Root This is an extremely important and supportive emerging, not-for –profit, artist-led initiative, and official but unfunded event for GI. Natalie Lambert is the curator and project lead for Atyp. The project is a public art trail through the regenerating/degenerating areas along the Clyde Riverside. Sunday I walked down Kelvinhaugh st. to the pedestrian bridge that takes you across the M-8 to the science center. I visited Kate V Robertson Meeting place in front of the BBC , A stones Throw Away: The Govan Beacon, I continued to follow the Atyp trail markers past a public sculpture by Sam Stead to the Slip Rd Where Anthony Shragg did a public lecture about the social responsibility of the Chair in public art works and then invited the audience to create a public art work with the stack of chairs he was giving his talk from. It was fun. I was disappointed that the weather was a bit crap as I think it deterred people from coming along. Don’t miss next weekend, as there are a host of things happening including a really cool Launch of the Govan Armada launched from Clydebrae Gallery Exhibition and Bike-So-Coo, a zany celebration of Glasgow bike culture 24 in the mini skinny in the Atypical Root listing.

The final event of the day was Cleansing the House With Ink at Ricefield Gallery 34 Albion St. (This is marked incorrectly on our map, I blame Google, but apologies if anyone turned up at their old location.)

This was a wonderful culturally diverse experience: poetry and traditional Chinese singing and music were composed into a very intimate performance. I couldn’t help be seduced by the interesting display of traditional Chinese instruments and the sculptural sounds that came from Liu Fong part of the Harmony Chinese Music Ensemble. If you are one of those people that find Glasgow art scene a bit “samey” try reaching out to Ricefield, you are guaranteed to find a journey to another place through their program.

Thank you to all the performers and Ricefield Gallery for participating in Radius.