Bella The Beithir, Stockingfield Art Project, Glasgow

The Stockingfield Bridge reconnects Ruchill, Maryhill and Gilshochill three communities that historically were separated by the canal.

Where the bridge physically reconnects these communities, the Beithir art project looks to knit them together through this impressive piece of public art. The Beithir is a mythological Scottish lightening serpent, one of the fuatha, the same class of creature as the Kelpies at the other end of the canal. The Beithir art project will be the tiling of the whole 120m length of the serpent sculpture with ceramic scales. This will allow the people and groups from these communities to make their own unique mark on the site and provide a focal point for the communities to be proud of.

Fundamental to the project is the training and work experience, an integral part of the project. The site is free to access, and the scaling element of the project is delivered by Make it Glasgow, who will work as a sub-contractor to the Scottish Canals framework contractor, a community interest company with community engagement and enrichment as their principal objectives. The site connects to Ruchill, Maryhill and Gilshochill, which are some of the most deprived communities in Scotland (SMID) This asset will drive socio-economic benefits, supporting Make it Glasgow to sustain current jobs and fostering job creation by increasing visitor numbers and visitor spend, while making the most of the existing infrastructure by re-using and improving the existing structure. The site is always accessible to the public and feature lighting has been incorporated, so that the Beithir will light up in the evening and is coordinated with the lighting elsewhere in the park.

The project was enabled through an award of £135,000 by Avondale Environmental Limited, part of the NPL Group through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.