Building on our Floating Head project, we set out to examine the commissioning process by testing a model that considers an artwork’s future life from the earliest stages—ideally at the point of commissioning.
Contemporary art production often follows a linear cycle of creating new work with limited thought given to what happens afterwards. At the same time, there is relatively little market demand for sculpture, particularly at large scale, which makes long-term planning essential.
STEP (2021) by Jacqueline Donachie was created for Glasgow International 2021 and began with an audit of access points across Glasgow’s arts and cultural venues, many of which are shaped by Victorian-era architecture. This research highlighted how historic buildings continue to restrict movement and exclude many bodies, forming the conceptual foundation for the work.
The sculpture took shape as a series of modular, pigmented-concrete components based on exaggerated, imaginary access ramps. Installed across 20 square metres of the Govan Graving Docks, the work visualised the cumbersome temporary fixes often used to retrofit old buildings, while also creating a temporary communal space. It invited visitors to consider how we reach these spaces—physically and conceptually—and who is left out in the process.
A second iteration at Govan Project Space responded to the near-impossible task of making Queens Park railway station accessible, pointing to how deeply inaccessible much of Scotland’s historic infrastructure remains. Although the project was originally intended to host in-person discussions, COVID required a pivot to an online event, with poet San Alland activating the work through performance.
Govan Project Space is an artist led artist studio and exhibition space that’s been running for 5 years, in that time the founders Matt and Andy have worked with many different of artists – the majority of which are based in the central belt of Scotland. STEP was the first project they had worked on that had so many stakeholders involved, pushing them into new organisational and funding situations.
GPS was self-funded in its first couple of year, and 2020 was the first time they applied to Creative Scotland for support. The successful application was only able to cover a small part of the large scale public work that Jacqueline Donachie had planned. Thanks to SPG’s acquisition partnership the funds were secured, and the artwork was able to be manufactured, produced and exhibited at GPS and the external neighbouring site of Gravings Dock.
SPG facilitated an Acquisition Partnership between the artist and SWG3, an arts and events venue based in Glasgow. The Acquisition Partnership formed for STEP enabled SWG3 to co-fund production of the STEP public work in exchange for taking ownership of it afterwards. Employing this model will enable Donachie to create an ambitious new work which would not otherwise have been possible and also allows the sculpture to continue to have a life beyond the festival.
As this project is not yet complete, our findings are still being processed. However, the process has so far been very positive and the next phase of our Commissioning research is underway, this time with SPG in the role as one of the curators and commissioners.
| Title | Price | Purpose | Condition | Build Date |
|---|