Arria

Isn't she stunning?

I absolutely adore her. She stands just a few minutes from my doorstep. and is named after Arria Fadilla, the mother of the Roman emperor Antonius who created the Antonine Wall which runs close to Cumbernauld. She's my favourite piece of public art by my favourite public artist - Andy Scott.

Here's some more info about her:-

The installation of the prestigious commission for an iconic landmark for Cumbernauld was completed in August 2010. The design of the sculpture is based on the original meaning of Cumbernauld, the Gaelic ?cumer nan allt?, which means the coming together of waters.

The sculpture of a female figure, with swooping arcs which represent the waters, is 10 metres (32 feet) in height and was constructed in the studio in 15 sections. She was galvanised at Highland Colour Coaters in Cumbernauld.

She was officially inaugurated in January 2011 by HRH The Princess Royal.

Cumbernauld has had lots of bad press in recent years. It won the Plook on the Plinth Award in 2001 and again in 2005 and in December 2005 the entire Town Centre won a public nomination for demolition in the Channel 4 series Demolition, where it was voted "the worst building in Britain.

Ironic considering when the town centre was built, it's daring megastructure architecture was highly praised. Architects, designers, town planners and students of many disciplines visited Cumbernauld from around the globe to marvel at the town, for many years heralded as a utopian construction.

Cumbernauld has been my home town since getting married 22 years ago and despite my frustrations at how the town centre has been neglected (although there have been some improvements with the creation of the new Antonine Centre) I have loved every minute of my time here and will hold this town close to my heart when we eventually move, early next year.

Cumbernauld.....I wrote this for you......

Full of Promise

She was wanted and needed before she existed.
Her conception was meticulously planned.
Her future was carefully mapped out.
Her purpose in life clear for all to see upon demand.
She was full of promise.

And when she materialised on an unpromising moor-land ridge
How they gasped at her newness,
her perfection
And the optimism that arrived with her
She was full of promise.

In her prime she was the pride of her community.
Her award winning mega structures lusted after the world over.
Sat high on her pedestal, embracing her destiny
- A modernist utopia -
She was full of promise.

Five decades on, older, wiser and now tired.
Still winning awards, but now for her plooks and carbuncles.
Ugly and dismal!
Without nurture, beauty fades and spirit dies.
What happened to all her promise?

What?s she called?..Comar nan Allt!
Conceived by Planners; neglected by Planners.
A town with no centre but, a town with a heart!
And I believe that?s a start.
Cumbernauld is still full of promise.



PS. I blipped another of Andy Scott's stunning installations HERE