Sculpture Placement Group (SPG) is a research-led organisation working within the visual arts. Our projects aim to improve economic conditions for artists, broaden public access to contemporary art, and address the wasteful commissioning cycles that frequently end with artworks being shown once and then discarded. As co-director Kate V Robinson notes, “we want to bring art to new audiences, make it more accessible, and address the waste in commissioning an artwork that gets shown once and then binned.”
Floating Head is a 26-tonne floating sculpture originally commissioned for the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. Conceived by artist Richard Groom and fabricated with shipbuilders at Govan Docks, it combines steel mesh with cement render, embedding Glasgow’s industrial materials and heritage directly into its construction.
The Garden Festival itself drew over 4.3 million visitors and marked a pivotal moment in Glasgow’s transition from post-industrial decline toward cultural regeneration. Many of the artworks commissioned or loaned for the festival have since disappeared with little documentation. Groom’s Floating Head, however, survived—first by chance, and later through acts of private intervention. The sculpture’s survival tells a parallel story to the site: once a thriving dockyard, later derelict, and now home to BBC Scotland and the Glasgow Science Centre.
Richard Groom trained in stone carving, contributing hand-carved ornament to major Scottish buildings such as Paisley Abbey before moving into more experimental sculptural work. After his death in 2019, his brother, Andy Groom, set out to locate the Floating Head following strong recollections of the piece shared at Richard’s funeral. This personal motivation became the starting point for the sculpture’s rediscovery.
SPG had already been investigating the legacy of the Glasgow Garden Festival and the broader question of what happens to artworks after major cultural events. The festival’s nostalgic pull and its significance to the city made it an ideal case study for examining commissioning practices and legacy planning.
Our research focuses on artworks in storage and the long-term responsibility for their care. Floating Head aligned closely with these interests. Once Glasgow City Heritage Trust connected SPG with Andy Groom, the project gained momentum and raised new questions.
What should be considered at the point of commissioning to ensure future care?
How do we extend the life of public artworks?
Is Floating Head’s survival the result of chance, or of committed individuals?
After the Garden Festival, Floating Head was stored on land later purchased by Ian Henderson, who became its owner. When the site was being cleared, Keith from Offshore Works Ltd intervened, towing the sculpture to safety at Clyde Boatyard, where it remained for years—weathered, moss-covered, partially re-rendered, and marked by graffiti.
During planning for its re-emergence, several potential long-term destinations were explored, including museum acquisition. However, private owners who have expended resources preserving a work may not wish to relinquish it, creating tensions around stewardship, responsibility, and public access.
Conservation was carried out by a small team of specialists, including Concrete Repairs Limited, who donated materials and provided discounted labour. Repairs were intentionally minimal and focused below the waterline to make the sculpture watertight without compromising its original render. Graffiti was removed, and the work stabilised for refloating.
The project cost approximately £27,000, supported by:
CITB (£6k)
Glasgow City Heritage Trust (£5k for engagement)
Awards for All (£7k for the sculpture trail)
Sustrans (£2.5k)
Crowdfunder (£7k) including £1.5k Creative Scotland Crowdmatch
The crowdfunder brought significant public engagement and extended the project’s reach through press support and storytelling.
SPG partnered with Glasgow Science Centre to run workshops, beginning with Curiosity Live in March 2020, where over 300 schoolchildren made floating sculptures.
During COVID, activity moved online. Artists Ruby and Greer Pester and boatbuilder Jason Bradley delivered remote workshops for Govanhill Development Trust and Glasgow Disability Alliance, whose participants created floating sculptures later launched in the Science Centre moat during the official event.
COVID significantly delayed the sculpture’s return to the Clyde. During this time, SPG produced a virtual tour for Glasgow Doors Open Day, helping share the story widely while physical access was limited. Negotiations around mooring rights, liabilities, and maintenance proved complex, resulting in a temporary—not permanent—display agreement.
Floating Head was refloated in August 2021, attracting widespread media attention. The public launch took place in September during Doors Open Day, marked by speeches, music, and a ribbon-cutting led by Richard’s mother.
The display was shortened due to the security requirements surrounding COP26. To ensure meaningful engagement during the conference, SPG developed the Govan Sculpture Trail, installing other stored artworks by contemporary Glasgow-based artists across the area. A virtual tour—created by Annelise O’Connell through the Robertson Trust internship—added historical and cultural framing.
One location, Govan Cross Shopping Mall, hosted Horse by Ester Gamsu. The public response was overwhelmingly positive, with locals suggesting competitions to name the work and interest in keeping it long-term. The trail strengthened connections with local creative communities, including Govan Project Space.
Returning to the initial questions:
What should be considered at commissioning?
Future display plans should be identified from the outset.
Responsibilities, liabilities, and ownership must be clear before production.
Maintenance needs should be estimated and shared among all partners.
Investment in public artworks should be matched by a plan for their continued use.
What can be learned from the Garden Festival?
The festival did not account for long-term artwork lifecycles, resulting in poor legacy outcomes for many pieces.
Reviving existing artworks can be more economical and environmentally sustainable than commissioning new ones.
Floating Head demonstrates how nostalgia can be leveraged critically to discuss legacy, value, and care.
How do we extend the life of public artworks?
Reliance on private custodians is unsustainable; structural solutions are needed.
Stakeholders often have conflicting views about an artwork’s “ideal” destination.
Public funding for privately owned works raises long-standing tensions that must be acknowledged.
Knowledge-sharing between organisations could help demystify permissions and logistical challenges.
Ultimately, the project showed that permanency is not always the only—or most important—measure of success. Even a temporary return to public view can achieve meaningful impact, foster community engagement, and reveal much about how artworks might live beyond their initial moment.
| Title | Price | Purpose | Condition | Build Date |
|---|
