'Woven in Govan': River City star Iain Robertson launches new exhibition in Glasgow

The Glasgow actor unveiled a new 'Woven in Govan' exhibition at the Wh•eat Cafe in Govan.

It was created by six local artists and will be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital's new exhibition area later this year.

ts Beal, Iain Robertson, Liz Gardner and Audrey Obrien at Mary Barbour [Image: Elaine Livingstone]

Iain explained: "As part of an International collaboration led by Platform TU (Ukraine) and partnering with Intercult (Sweden) and other post-industrial waterfront communities across Europe, acknowledging the hard work and burden on women as the main carers part in response to COVID-19.

"This exhibition has been created by six local artists Audrey O’Brien, Donna Rutherford, Deirdre Nelson, Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng, t s Beall, Alex Wilde & Ailie Rutherford’s a part of the “Woven in Govan” project that will be transferred to The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s new exhibition area later this year and focusses on giving a voice, notice and credit to the role of women as the principal carers, professionally and domestically, during the present crisis."

Summing up his involvement he added: "I come from a family of formidable Govan women who are activists and I have loved seeing an exhibition that acknowledges all the hard work done in our communities during the pandemic and in our past.

"It is also great to see the Wh•eat café re-opening as a centre for local culture. I am proud to be a Govan boy and proud to celebrate our matriarchs."

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ts Beal and Iain Robertson [Image: Elaine Livingstone]

Liz Gardner from Fablevision - a community cultural development company - explained that 'Woven in Govan' is part of the larger international exhibition platform, Woven Network - with the Govan project being the Scottish contribution.

She said: ”Each of the artists have delivered in their own style of story-telling to capture the essence of women’s contribution throughout the pandemic.

"Performance artist Donna Rutherford’s has a developed a series of aural interviews ‘Natural Born Carers’ with the female volunteers that stepped forward to replace withdrawn services during the pandemic and shares their individual experiences.

"Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng through installation featuring quotes and key themes relating to the care burden placed upon women through a series of engagement sessions with local women on beautifully designed graphics on milk cartons, leaflets and posters.

"Audrey O’Brien has curated a series of curated ‘Breathing Planet Walks’ to highlight how nature and getting outdoors was our saving grace during the pandemic and highlights how we have reconnected to nature and how humans, animals, plants and eco systems are all inter connected.

"Deidre Nelson has made soaps with words embedded to capture the choreography of hand washing for care givers and home carers.

"Alex Wilde & Ailie Rutherford’s series of napkins that detail a feminist manifesto for wants and needs that women need to survive. Covering affordable housing, parenting rights and community activism and self-care.

"ts Beal, local Govan artist dressed the Mary Barbour statue outside Govan underground station in nursing uniforms and ppe to project the importance of women as the principal carers during the present Covid19 crisis."

"In the history of Govan and Glasgow, Barbour rose from obscurity to prominence by a combination of an indomitable spirit, humanity and acumen, yet until relatively recently, she was a figure almost lost to history."

The exhibition is funded by Creative Scotland, in partnership with Nordic Cultural Fund (via Intercult).