I live in Woodlands so this project is very local to me and I see these mosaics every day. I remember when I was 12 coming to Glasgow with my mum and seeing those mosaic pillars and with our friends we took a picture standing on them. When I was talking to my sister about mosaics she reminded me of this moment. It occurred to me that these mosaics will of influenced me and perhaps the familiarity of seeing them every day has caused me to find comfort in creating mosaics this year. I feel I have a lot to thank them for!
The pillars were created when a lot of the woodlands roads were closed off to the public. This made the area safer for children and allowed for a street community. In 1997, artist Karina Young and the arts organization Impact Arts started the project to transform them into pieces of street furniture. A series of workshops with children at Willowbank Primary School, situated in the heart of Woodlands, produced a large number of drawings that Kariana made into mosaics. There are 108 bollards in the area, each with a different unique pattern. Some of the work was sponsored by local businesses, which had their logo permanently displayed in brass plaques on top of the bollards. Each child has their name and title of their work engraved into the brass plaques, displaying varied ethnic backgrounds and diverse ideas of the young local community.
The bollards have many purposes, one of them being to define the area of woodlands. The bollards present woodlands colourful and diverse community immediately. Like the pearly gates.
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