273 Of 365: Arria

Who is Arria?
The welded-metal statue was commissioned by the Campsies Centre Cumbernauld Ltd as part of the Cumbernauld Positive Image Project and created by internationally renowned artist – Andy Scott. 
The Arria sculpture takes the form of a woman wearing an outfit which has two flowing loops which stretch from her hands to the bottom of her dress. The loops are representative of the Gaelic name of Cumbernauld – comar nan allt – which translates to the meeting of the streams.


What Does “Arria” Mean?
There was a public competition held to name the new icon of Cumbernauld and ultimately it was locals, Bethany and Louise Reid, who suggested the name – Arria. 
The name Arria had historical connections with the Cumbernauld region, it was name of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius’ mother, Arria Fadilla. It was Emperor Antoninus who ordered the construction of the Antonine Wall, a mostly turf wall which reached 3 metres tall and stretched across the entirety of Scotland (Cumbernauld is located a mere two miles from the line of the Antonine Wall).