GLASGOW STREET ART
Glasgow Street Art
A few days after my Brighton break I found myself in another place awash with fine street art - and the only major UK city I'd never visited before. The 'summer' weather in Glasgow was even wetter and colder than in Brighton. But that didn't put me off; and I was never far from a Wetherspoons when the rain (and hail) showers threatened.
Using one of those quaint old paper street maps marked with a route plotted from streetartcities.com is a good way to get under the skin of a city, often away from the obvious tourist spots.
Where better to start than with archetypal Glaswegian Rab C. Nesbitt, played by Gregor Fisher since 1988. Even those who never watched the TV series are likely to remember his Hamlet ad. Apparently Johnny Depp based his Glaswegian accent for Alice in Wonderland on Rab.
Wind Power, Mitchell Street, by Rogue One, Art Pistol - a celebration of clean energy. Renewable wind capacity in Scotland is over 11GW, 39% of UK installed wind capacity.
The boxer is one of several sculptures commemorating the Glasgow 2024 Commonwealth Games. The traffic cones will be explained later!
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Buchanan Street, by Smug. Unfortunately I didn't have time to wait for a passer-by to walk into the perfect photo-opportunity (or the sun to come out) - like this.
The World's Most Economical Taxi by Rogue One (Bobby McNamara). He also painted every brick to ensure his artwork stood out.
University of Strathclyde
The University, Glasgow's second-oldest, was founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute. Most of these murals, collectively known as the Wonderwall, were commissioned in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the Royal Charter which conferred university status.
Above, left, shows a Dansken equatorial telescope as used here in the 1920s. Strathclyde University remains one of Europe's largest space engineering research establishments.
The lecture hall mural was recently updated to include a greater diversity of students. But do they really still wear jackets and ties?
Famous alumni featured above include ....
John Logie Baird, inventor of the world’s first working television.
Verity Lambert, founding BBC TV producer of Doctor Who.
James Blyth, wind energy pioneer.
Henry Faulds, originator of fingerprint identification.
Andrew Ure, whose experiments on corpses are thought to have inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
This mural, from a 1913 photograph, depicts the Land-Ship. Standing on top of the School of Navigation, it was a revolving platform where students were taught the principals of compass adjustment.
The next four pictures (oh, for a drone) are of one huge mural overlooking the car park in Wilson Street .....
The panorama of indigenous creatures was created by Fearless Collective for the COP26 conference held in the city in 2021.
Saint Mungo, 300 High Street, by Smug. The patron saint of Glasgow is depicted in modern clothes referencing the traditional tale of The Bird That Never Flew. Legend has it that a wild robin tamed by Saint Serf was accidentally killed. Saint Mungo was blamed for the robin's death but proved his innocence by bringing the bird back to life with his prayers.
In 2011 Lonely Planet included Glasgow's equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington in a list of the Top ten most bizarre monuments on Earth.
Since the 1980s, mischievous Glaswegians had been putting traffic cones on the Duke's head. For many years the authorities removed the cones, at one time even proposing to spend £65,000 on raising the plinth. In the end, following an online petition, they gave up. And the cones continue to be magically changed overnight.
Less agile vandals adorn Copenhagen's legs with stickers .....
More city centre murals ....
Taqi Spateen (Palestine)
Coll Hamilton
Conzo
Robert the Robot, Miller Street, by the prolific Rogue One. Street performer Robert Harris was for many years a familiar figure in Glasgow as the cyborg dancer and mime artist. He even made a guest appearance in an episode of Rab C. Nesbitt, receiving a 'Glasgow Kiss' from the string-vested Glaswegian.
On the left, another contribution by Fearless Collective for COP26, this one in Wilson Street. It replaced The Badminton Player by Guido Van Helten - well, almost. Featless's hoist couldn't quite reach the top so some shuttlecock feathers from the original mural remain.
Falling in Love by Rebel Bear can be seen at 16 Candleriggs, Buchanan Street.
The three photos above are another large mural which the artist was just putting the finishing touches to. Note the technique of copying his paper design from one grid to a larger one. Street artists often use brickwork as their grid.
Thomas Muir in Old Wynd is also by Rogue One. Muir of Huntershill was transported to Botany Bay in 1793 for championing parliamentary reforms, freedom of speech and votes for everyone. He managed to escape a few years later. The bandages in this portrait refer to the near-fatal injury Muir sustained when hit by shrapnel when the Spanish ship he was being held on was attacked by the British at Cadiz.
In 2017, three Billy Connolly portraits by Jack Vettriano, John Byrne and Rachel Maclean were unveiled to celebrate the comedian's 75th birthday. Subsequently, the three were accurately reproduced as murals by Rogue One; two are still there.
On the left, in Osbourne Street, is a copy of Byrne's effort. On the right, Vettriano's Dr Connolly I Presume? depicts a windblown Connolly on the coast near John O'Groats. It can be found on the side of the Hootenanny pub in Dixon Street.
Of course, all stand-up comedy is subjective. But many would argue that Billy Connolly is the funniest man on the planet.
I once bumped into him in the backstreets of Shepherd's Bush. "I cannae remember where I parked my car; it's a Rolls Royce", said Billy, seeing the funny side (as always). Fortunately for Billy I'd just walked past his car - unfortunately for me as I'd have jumped at the opportunity to help him find it.
The Future is Ours to Change can be found on the Charles Oakley Building in Cathedral Street. It was created by Artisanartworks. They worked with young people over twelve months to develop their mural painting and design skills in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Frodik artwork on Old Dumbarton Road.
Frodrik
Lindsay Grime
Bonkerz
Charles Rennie Mackintosh by Rogue One, Art Pistol in Gorbals Street. This was a 2018 commission to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Glasgow's most famous artist. Note the art deco style with his distinctive rose motif. There's also this imposing statue of Mackintosh at the junction of Argyle and Eliot Streets.
Glasgow's Outside the Box Street Art Initiative is a community-driven project to showcase local artists. Their creations include these decorated utility boxes, mostly along Kelvinhaugh Street ....
Arttoon Emsky
Sara Jane Melville Anna-lena Nikolovski
Emsky Nicola McGuigan
Pizzaboy Keiti Forbes
Jacques Davie Theme
Ross Bside
Alba gu brà th was the rallying cry of Mel Gibson as William Wallace in Braveheart. It translates from Scottish Gaelic as 'Scotland forever'.
Ross Bside Guz
Alko
All the remaining murals in this post can be found close together, in an ever-changing gallery flanking the railway arches at the eastern end of Kelvinhaugh Street ......
Taqi Spateen (Palestine)
Until Lambs Become Lions Kitsune Jolene
Lightbody 107
Molly Hawkinson Studio
James Klinge Self -Portrait with Red Loincloth
KMG's Wulver (left) is a folklore creature created in the 1930s. With the head of a wolf and body of a man, the Wulver was said to be of a gentle temperament if left alone on a rock to fish.
Rachelle Millar
Bacon .EPOD
incredible art
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