Feathered friends

I was over at the Glasgow Hospice today. The face of the building as you approach is covered with 18 stunning bronze birds.

They are called the Springburn Hens; named after the down-to-earth hospice staff working to care for terminally ill patients. 'Hen' is sometimes used as a term of endearment in Scotland.

All 18 are made of hand prints taken from patients, staff and volunteers which were cast into bronze. If you look closely you can see the handprints in the feathers - I had to over-process the shot so you could see them clearly.

The birds are meant to represent love and hope of doves and the pragmatic everydayness of the pigeon. The hands that created them representing the 'hands-on' nature of palliative care.

I think it's such a beautiful concept - some of the people who helped create this art will have died at the hospice. I really like that a part of them remains.