Wallflower | Flores Muri - The Park Gallery Youth Ambassador Blogs
As Ambassadors this week we participated in an extensive workshop with the son of Ian Hamilton Finlay, Alec Finlay. The project was to build up a proposal which will be shown to Callendar Park/House and decided if what we have come up with will be allowed and given the green light.
The idea of the week was to go around the park and decide on spots of land in which we could place an archaeology pole to be our marker. This pole with flag will attract visitor to the park and by doing this they will discover different trees, plants, flowers and herbs in which the Romans introduced to Scotland. The reason the Romans were the topic of this project was because of the Antonine Wall which runs through the park. We wanted to draw attention to the heritage of not just Callendar Park but also Falkirk and Scottish heritage. With 10 places picked out around the park we focused on the views we could see from these places and decided on which plants would be best suited there. Some of the plants we chose were bay, damson, cow parsley, sweet chestnut, thyme, rose…
To go on the flags attached to the poles is the name of the plant in Latin and also English. We also came up with little poems from our research of the plants for each one. I came up with (Thymus Vulgaris, Thyme, Helping Hands). I feel this made the project a little more special for us and showed we connected to the task individually.
Part of our research was to also find out about the park and it’s past. We acquired interesting information form the Callendar House archives. Where the house sits used to be a bog and the back lawn used to be fish ponds for example. My favourite part of the project was going out and sketching some of the chosen areas to have some perspective and visual help. This made me feel even more in touch with the landscape we were working in.
I found interesting also the photography aspect of the workshop and all the things that have to be taken into account just to take a good picture. We each had our photo taken with a particular spot which will be part of the proposal to the Park.
At the end of this workshop I found I had more insight about the house, surrounding land and the Romans. I know now that to be an artist is a lot harder than it looks. So many things have to be taken into account and weighed up just to get to the final outcome. And I do know that all the hard work was very much worth it in the end. I feel proud to have been a part of this project and hope that the final outcomes will be approved.
When we first discussed the project with Alec, it was interesting to hear his initial idea of using trellises to view specific views around the park, however, due to the layout and design of the park being mostly enclosed by trees, another approach had to be taken. Immediately this highlighted the process of being an artist is not as simple as it seems as you must be willing to compromise or return to the start in order to come up with a new concept. Alec’s second concept was to use the archaeologist site poles in order to mark a location where would be planted a particular herb, flower or tree relating to the park’s Roman heritage. This also related to the neighbouring Par 3 Golf course which existed to one end of the park. Perhaps one of the most interesting days was that when we walked around the park with the botanist and discussed the various locations and plant life and how they in turn related to the Roman connection. We walked first to the Japanese Maple tree which had captured all of our attention. There we discussed the location and the various plants that were Roman In origin, therefore narrowing our list and making our decision making process easier. The locations we visited included the spit of land in the Loch, the Arboretum and the back lawn of the house, these were only a few of the locations which became our final 9.
Another activity we took part in as youth ambassadors was the use of poetry and Its connection to the art and landscape of the park. I enjoyed this in particular as English is my passion in life. Part of this activity included using a sketch to portray the surroundings of the particular place and then use words to further describe it. Throughout these similar activities we used various types of poetry including Mesostic in which we used the name of an object or place for instance, Callendar, and used each letter of that word as part of another word which would describe the initial subject. Another exciting part of the project was expanding my knowledge of the Latin names for plants as they are mostly used to distinguish them rather than the English name. An example of this would be Thymus Vulgaris which is the Latin name for the herb Thyme.
For me, the most interesting opportunity I experienced through this project was learning about the history of the house, park and plant life through a meeting with the archaeologist in residence, Geoff. It was important to know how the surroundings had changed from the Roman occupation to the present date as it gave us an insight into why the Romans chose the location they did and how the locations we had chosen related back to their historical significance. Another opportunity I relished was being able to learn about the plants’ appearance and origins in order to create a poem to go with each as part of the proposal. This gave me a real sense of involvement as something I or any of the other youth ambassadors had created would be used in order to make the proposal appealing, our creativity was being showcased through this. We did however, have to make edits to the poems as must be done with any creative work, even the refining process was exciting as it taught us the value of being able to compromise which an artist must face as part of their job.
On a whole I would say working on this project with Alec, Ken, the Amys and my fellow youth ambassadors is an experience which I will cherish forever. All aspects were engaging and exciting which I would not have been able to experience if I had not had the opportunity to be a youth ambassador.
When i was first told i was getting to work with one of Scotland finest artists and poet's son, Alec Finlay, I was thrilled. I was so excited to start. I had a strict idea of what was going to happen. I thought that we would be placing art work around the park but instead we were making art work from the park. Callendar Park once identified to me is rather bare. It doesn't really have a lot of beautiful exotic plants that excite the eye. It has a great landscape that invites walkers and families. Most people know that the Romans built the Antoine wall and were here for only 20 years but in this time they brought many herbs plants and trees and they had a great influence on the landscape and surrounding towns. Alec had the great idea of merging the two - Landscape, nature and the Romans. Alec came up with the idea of having a red and white archaeologist’s pole as a marker. It is 7ft tall and stands out tremendously as it’s so fake and lifeless the plants we will be planting in spring will be full of life and be eye catching due to the stripped beacon. As the park is a natural heritage site it had many constraints so we had to be careful and many ideas were rejected due to budgeting and the constraints. Alec and his team lead us around the showing us great places that were different and beautiful.
We all discussed what plant would suit each of the 9 locations chosen. Fiona, Jonathan and Rachel and I did research using books looking at all the plants herbs and trees the Romans had brought with them. I found this really interesting as I didn't know how much they had influenced everyday life. They brought over Thyme, Rosemary, Bay, Lime Cherry and Plum trees ingredients used in everyday life and still to this day used in cooking and medicine. We then looking up the Latin for all the plants researched. Once we done this we had to make up poems. I made a few for ROSA Latin for rose. I had not done poetry since the start of high school so it was fun and interesting.
Wednesday we went around the park, we decided more firmly on where the 9 locations would be. Starting on the hill (Brow) we then looked down to the next and from there to the next and so on. From each marker you can see the next.
Thursday was exciting as we got to go into Callendar house and look at the archives. I found out information I had never known before - for example the house wasn't originally here it was actually north of the wall and in the 15th to 16th century it was moved. It later had a moat which helped protect and before the house was here and when the Romans arrived. The areas were the house and park were was a bog. Fiona, Jonathan and I all had our individual areas to look at. I had chosen the 1st to 4th markers as I found it the most interesting. I found out that the hill was used as a battle strategy to defend the town. And that later on what is known as the "Queen's view" was taken out as passage. The lime trees had been planted as a sign of wealth and the paths were made of gravel and dirt made wide as women had large dresses and fancy outfits. The lake or loch wasn't there and when the Forbes lived here it was a sign of wealth to have a beautiful garden features. Gardens were meant to look natural and Forbes created a beautiful garden complete with a pond and loch and small canal that ran from the east side of the house to the south. It was the start of a small stream and helped from the eastbourn of Falkirk. We then decided as a group where all the locations will be and what plants will be at each.
On Friday we showed Alec where all the locations were. From every location we were able to see what people would see from every direction. And what I loved about this project is that two people can be standing at the same place and be seeing completely different things. So it was interesting, we decided it would be better if we had 10 archaeologist poles as it will draw more attention and links points 1 and 2 better.
On Tuesday we met with a photographer. This was a good learning experience as I got to talk and take tips from him. He took great care in the lighting and made you feel comfortable and relaxed. Before I thought that photography was easy and simple - and it is, once you know what you want and need, he only took a few shots of us each. So it was over relatively quickly. I found this interesting as I didn't know there were so many factors to consider, lighting, timing, background and the appearance of the sitter. He could make you look spiteful or elegant or angry or empowered by the lighting and angle. He could also hide a bin or a tree or give the illusion you were taller or shorter fatter, thinner.
I had a great time working with Alec, Ken, Amy, Amy and Geoff. It was new to me because I never knew how much time it takes and I always thought the process was simple but it takes a lot more time and different stages uncover new dilemmas such as constraints. I knew it took planning but not how much planning and scrapping of ideas and rethinking. I think this project gave me more confidence as I was able to get my point across to people I had never met before and I was also able to tell others about it and share my enthusiasm.
The Youth Ambassadors have had an amazing opportunity to work with Ian Hamilton Finlay’s son, Alec Finlay, on a project to create viewpoints within Callendar Park. This idea was inspired by the ‘Nature Over again after Poussin’ exhibition, which is now on display at The Park Gallery until November.
The exhibition includes eleven photographs of Ian Hamilton Finlay’s garden ‘Little Sparta’ located in the Pentland Hills. Just like the photographs, Alec wanted to create viewpoints of the park that show off its natural beauty as well as encouraging people to really look at the landscape to see things that you would not normally notice. The viewpoints could highlight a certain species trees that are not native to the park or possibly viewpoints of the house, highlighting its wealth and grandeur.
Callendar Park is the home of the Roman ‘Antonine Wall’, due to the Roman heritage of the park Alec wanted to include plants and trees that were used during roman times for food, medicine and decoration. With his proposal us Youth Ambassadors worked with the idea over 5 days to create a final outcome. We worked with a team of artists, Ken …, Amy … and Amy … who helped us with the idea.
A huge amount of research went into the project; we studied plants and trees with the help of Gerry … and we tried to learn the Latin names for the plants. We also spent a morning working with Callendar Park’s archaeologist discussing the history of the park and why the park has a variety of trees, foreign and native, to this day.
Ken helped us with applying poetry to our project, something that Ian Hamilton Finlay is very well known for. We spent time on our own in our favourite locations within the park thinking of words we associated with our viewpoints, the plants and trees, eventually forming the information into a short poem. Everyone worked together in editing each poem to create a final piece.
Our final plan is to mark 9 viewpoints within the park with a golf post; next the post there will be a Roman plant or tree. Information about the plant can be found on the flag of the post, as well as the English and Latin names. The viewpoints will create even more interest within the park and encourage everyday users or visitors to appreciate its beauty. The posts also highlight a modern day perspective of the park, marking its constant use to the public for years to come.
The proposal is hoping to be installed by Spring 2014. While you are waiting to see the final outcome of our project, please visit Ian Hamilton Finlay’s exhibition: ‘Nature over again after Poussin’ at The Park Gallery to find out more about our inspiration and the world-renowned work of Finlay.
I was told about the opportunity to be a Youth Ambassador for the Park Gallery by my art teacher. It instantly appealed to me, as I love art, and being involved with new projects sounded exciting! The gallery has taught me to look at art from a different perspective and I have made great friends from it.
When I first joined the gallery in March, the exhibition on show was “Reggie’s Roller Palace” by Olivia Brown. This exhibition featured hand made dogs on roller blades and various graphic design posters that were very unusual and interesting! As Youth Ambassadors we had the opportunity to interview Olivia, which we then blogged about on our Facebook and Tumblr that we created. We also interviewed Kate Livingstone, an artist based in Edinburgh, about her project of painting a huge wall in the creative home and clothing shop Anthropologie.
It was great to hear about different artists working methods, inspirations and background stories; and interviewing artists made us feel like journalists, which was so exciting! It gave us a greater understanding of what it is like to be an artist.
We also helped out at a Helix community project run by Darren Wilson where we created seed bombs - which would grow into flowers after being thrown onto ground. I loved this project and interviewing artists from the Helix because I am excited about the opening of the park and Kelpies and feel it will benefit Falkirk greatly.
I enjoy working at the Park Gallery because every exhibition is different! Our next exhibition was “Senses” by Fraser Ross, which was completely different as it was more technical and involved product design.
The main event for the gallery this year was working with with Ian Hamilton Finlay’s son, Alec Finlay, as a part of ARTIST ROOMS. This has been an amazing project as it allowed the youth ambassadors to make a collaboration with Alec Finlay that will remain in the park. I really enjoyed meeting photographer Robin Gillanders and seeing his photographs from past projects! After this event I feel that I look at Calendar Park in a different way and take in the scenery around me more often.
I have loved being a Park Gallery Youth Ambassador, we are a great team and have pursued amazing opportunities; I can’t wait for next exhibitions and projects!
