RIP George

Very sad news of the death of George Wyllie on Monday. The world and Scotland has lost a truly international artist, a man of vision and someone who made the world around him a better place.

Thanks George for having the courage to try and recover the purpose of art as a channel of understanding to some of the deeper truths of the world - and having no truck with the mad, hermetic language of the 'artworld'. This fellow artist salutes you!

We at 'NothingAboutUs' are pleased to have had the opportunity to present an evening in George's honour at Govan's Pearce Institute on 1st May as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.

Hope you are enjoying the new landscape wherever you are George

A Wee Epic about last Tuesday

Liz Gardiner of Fablevision speaking about George Wylie in Fergus Thom's film

Filmmaker Fergus Thom is part of the Whysman Festival team and he came along to our 'Questions about Govan...in honour of George Wylie' event on 1st May. The Whysman folk have now published the wee film that Fergus made of the night along with a new blogpost on their site - here

Expect the Unexpected

Tim Clarkson talking about early Govan at the Pearce Institute last night - photo ts Beall

There we were, about 30 of us, innocently watching Murray and Barbara Grigor's film about George Wyllie (The Why?s man)...then listening to Tim Clarkson's evocation of Govan's Doomster Hill - then Wham! before we knew it we were all pitched into an impassioned collective cry for Govan's history to be recognised in the future. There we were - resolving to make representation to the powers that be....even a community buy-out of Water Row was discussed.

This revolutionary zeal was then further inflamed by Cinema Action's 1971 film about the Upper Clyde Shipbuilder's 'work-in'  UCS1:

Cinema Action filming one of the mass meetings of the UCS work-in

And the evening concluded with 'The Govan Raid' Matt Baker's action staged in July 2011:

The Govan Raid - watch short video here

As @ForTheBurds tweeted later 'Quite a night... expect the unexpected with anything George Wyllie is connected to'

If you are interested to join a movement against the proposed carpark on Govan's iconic Water Row then get in touch via Twitter @GovanBeacon on FaceBook GloriousGovan or by email AboutUsWithoutUs@gmail.com

We're not quite done yet....here's George

The final public event as part of NothingAboutUsWithoutUsIsForUs...is:

'Some Questions about Govan…

in honour of George Wyllie,'

 

Tues 1 May 2012, 6 – 9pm

An evening of films and conversation about people, power and protest on the River Clyde, in honour of Glasgow artist George Wyllie’s 90th birthday.

In a career spanning over 40 years, George Wyllie has made some of his most celebrated works on and around the Clyde, including the Straw Locomotive and the Paper Boat.

Highlights of the evening will include a screening of newly re-mastered film ‘Wys?man’ by Murray Grigor (on George Wyllie), an historical talk about Doomster Hill (the ancient moot hill of the Kingdom of Strathclyde), Cinema Action’s 1971 film on the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work-In, and a 7 minute film documenting ‘The Govan Raid,’ a 2011 public art event by Matt Baker.

Date: Tuesday 1 May

Place: The Pearce Institute, 840–860 Govan Road, Govan G51 3UU

Time: 6–9pm

Cost: Free

Booking information: No booking is required, but seating is limited – please come early to avoid disappointment.

This event is also part of the Why?sman Festival - a year long celebration of George Wyllie's 90th Birthday 
www.whysman.co.uk
Twitter: @ForTheBurds
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ForTheBurds

Is it a 'George'?

Jan Patience examines the possible George Wyllie sculpture in the Pearce Institute, Govan

Ever since this sculpture featured in the Govan Raid there has been speculation about its origins and a growing suspicion that it might be by George Wyllie. As part of NothingAboutUs we are staging a film and discussion evening about people, power and protest in Govan....this event is in honour of George Wyllie's 90th birthday.

The Event is called 'Some Questions About Govan - in honour of George Wyllie' and details are here

There is aslo info on the excellent Wyllie Anniversary site - here

If anyone knows anything about the sculpture - please do get in touch by commenting on this post or by emailing aboutuswithoutus@gmail.com........hopefully we will have an answer to reveal as part of our Wyllie event on 1st May

Why?sman

George Wyllie launching the Paper Boat

NothingAboutUsWithoutUsIsForUs is delighted to be a partner in the Whysman Festival celebrating George Wyllie's 90th Birthday here is the link to our event in the Whysman Festival

'Some Questions about Govan…in honour of George Wyllie,' Tues 1 May 2012, 6 – 9pm

An evening of films and conversation about people, power and protest on the River Clyde, in honour of Glasgow artist George Wyllie’s 90th birthday.

In a career spanning over 40 years, George Wyllie has made some of his most celebrated works on and around the Clyde, including the Straw Locomotive and the Paper Boat.

Highlights of the evening will include a screening of newly re-mastered film ‘Wys?man’ by Murray Grigor (on George Wyllie), an historical talk about Doomster Hill (the ancient moot hill of the Kingdom of Strathclyde), Cinema Action’s 1971 film on the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work-In, and a 7 minute film documenting ‘The Govan Raid,’ a 2011 public art event by Matt Baker.

Date: Tuesday 1 May

Place: The Pearce Institute, 840–860 Govan Road, Govan G51 3UU

Time: 6–9pm

Cost: Free

Booking information: No booking is required, but seating is limited – please come early to avoid disappointment.

This event is also part of the Why?sman Festival - a year long celebration of George Wyllie's 90th Birthday 
www.whysman.co.uk
Twitter: @ForTheBurds
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ForTheBurds