A Very Fine Day

'LadyFish' made by Glasgow Artists Studio - one of the winners in the 'People's Choice' category...displayed by tsBeall during the judging of The Govan Armada (photo Colin Tennant)

The sun shone, the river glistened, the trebuchet fired, the choir sang, the flags fluttered, the human megaphone announced, the cups were strung, the stories were telt, the languages were heard.......but most of people came, smiled and enjoyed being by the Clyde in Govan. Thank you to everyone who came and to everyone who has been involved in creating NothingAboutUs.....it has been immense!

A new public space by the river has been brought to life and many new working relationships and friendships have begun....Glorious Govan indeed!

Some photos are already coming in and we'd love to see yours and hear any thoughts that NothingAboutUs sparked in you:

Please email us at: aboutuswithoutus@gmail.com

Posting photos:

FB: GloriousGovan

Twitter: @GovanBeacon #GovanGI

Flickr: tag 'GovanGI'

We'll post some photos on the blog when we get our breath back....in the meantime Lizzie Freer from Fablevision has posted a set of photos on Facebook - here

Exchanging Language

NothingAboutUs' Ingrid Shearer receiving translated texts from the Govan and Craigton Integration Network in the Pearce Institute

Ingrid next to the NothingAboutUs noticeboard in the halowed halls of the Pearce Institute

The Legendary Salmon of Knowledge

The good folk of Northlight introduced a new character into the mix of NothingAboutUs today - the Salmon of Knowledge - you can read the legend here. Ingrid Shearer is leading the project for Northlight and is busy circulating material from the NothingAboutUs text resources to speakers of a bewildering array of languages from ancient Brythonic to modern Parsi. 

Northlight (and their helpers) will be contributing 'translation stations' on 28thApril at NothingAboutUs:

Govan has long been a vibrant, multi-cultural hub. From its early origins as the creative, spiritual, administrative and royal centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, Govan has played host to many languages and many voices. Norse and Pictish influence is literally ‘set in stone’ in the massive hogback monuments, sarcophagus and cross-slabs in Govan Old Church, but the ancient Cumbric tongue of the Strathclyde Britons is preserved in the name Govan itself, meaning ‘small hill’, and in Partick, ‘little grove’. 

Staged near the site of the ancient assembly point of ‘Doomster Hill’, this event aims to celebrate the many voices of the Clyde, both past and present. It will include speakers and translators of as many languages as we can gather together for the day, creating a ‘Babel’ on The Clyde. 

Ingrid Shearer

Ingrid is an archaeologist with Northlight Heritage, an independent charity which investigates the past for the benefit of present communities and future generations. She has a particular interest in Govan having contributed to the Govan Burgh Survey and conducted historic walking tours of the area for Doors Open Day. She is currently working on the redisplay of the medieval sculptured stones in Govan Old Church (http://thegovanstones.org.uk). She is really excited to be involved in the project.

'River Patter: Voices of The Clyde' Govan has long been a vibrant, multi-cultural hub. From its early origins as the creative, spiritual, administrative and royal centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, Govan has played host to many languages and many voices.

Staged near the site of the ancient assembly point of ‘Doomster Hill’, this action aims to celebrate the many voices of the Clyde, both past and present. It will include speakers and translators of as many languages as we can gather together for the day, creating a ‘Babel’ on The Clyde.

http://www.northlight-heritage.co.uk/