Easterhouse Phoenix

Easterhouse

One of a series of artworks Andy has undertaken around the east end of his native Glasgow. The Phoenix was commissioned by a consortium of local residents who were aware of Andy's work through his commitment to community-based projects. They gave him a brief based on the concept of the phoenix as a mythological bird which rises from the ashes, as an allegory for the regeneration of the Easterhouse area of Glasgow. After years of decline the area has been transformed, and the community wanted a sculpture to act as a prominent landmark on the approach road to the estate.

The Phoenix is in fact sited only a couple of kilometres from The Heavy Horse, on the north side of the busy M8 motorway which links Edinburgh & Glasgow. It stands approximately 4 metres tall and has a wing span of 4 metres, and is made of a lattice of welded and galvanized steel bars. It stands on landscaped rockery of "firebird gneiss" granite stones, which are engraved with an inscription for a poem written about the sculpture by a local schoolboy.

This commission incorporated an extensive community outreach programme, carried out with Andy by the community arts company Impact Arts. This specialist education company undertook series of workshops and projects incorporating visual arts, drama and film, all based on the concept of the phoenix, which coincided with the fabrication and installation of the sculpture. Such was the success of the sculpture that it has since been adopted as the emblem for a local school.