Artist Mandy McIntosh was born and brought up in the North East of Glasgow and lived through the ‘80s demolitions and reconfiguration of Springburn. Her work in the last decade is informed by spatial injustice and often involves the recuperation of neglected sculptures in working class space. Among other things, Mandy works long term and extensively with community groups.
The Cowlairs Cooperative Monument was gifted to the people of Glasgow in 1902, and at the time operated as a water fountain. Amidst the 1980s demolition and community displacement in Springburn, the monument had fallen into disrepair. With support from The Hunterian, University of Glasgow and Imperial War Museums, Mandy has led efforts to have the statue restored to its original condition as a symbol of human solidarity as it is enacted in the area of Springburn in the north of Glasgow.
Mandy McIntosh brought about the repairs in partnership with registered charity Springburn Unity Network, a migrant support group who tackle social marginalisation in the area and both are pleased to announce the repair of the Springburn Cowlairs Cooperative Society Monument whose launch will be celebrated in Springburn on December 14th, 2024.
The Cowlairs Cooperative Monument has outlived the old urban centre of Springburn, of which over eighty percent was demolished in the early 1970s to the early 1980s. With the controversial building of the A803 Springburn Expressway, the community of Springburn was decimated, and in 1981 the fountain was moved to its current position in front of Springburn Shopping Centre. Here the monument, made in unique Balmoral granite and featuring two hands shaking in friendship with the motto ‘Each for All and All for Each,’ acted as a symbol of cooperation and unity. Its repair has long been a desire of the local community.
The launch event to celebrate the newly repaired monument will feature traditional Scottish music as well as a set by Musicians in Exile, a Govan-based ensemble of musicians who are refugees or migrants. All attendees will be given a limited-edition screen-printed tea towel as a souvenir of the day, echoing the generosity of the cooperative in 1902 when they gave out commemorative mugs to 6000 children at a gala day in Springburn Park.
This project was enabled through funding from The Hunterian and Imperial War Museums. Alongside The Hunterian 2024 commission of work by artist Cathy Wilkes, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund also supported a community engagement strand which included an exhibition by Springburn Unity Network at the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre.
Cowlairs Cooperative Monument Celebration
14th December 2024
12.00pm
230 Springburn Way, G21 1TS
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 