Our Sauchiehall Street Willow Lantern Parade, thank you for coming!
It’s been a bit over a week since the Garnethill Multicultural Centre’s willow lantern parade, through Garnethill and down Sauchiehall Street. It took place on Thursday 27th March, on a very wet and windy night! Despite this, lots of us still made it out with our lanterns and lit up the streets. Lots of the lanterns were made by children from Garnetbank Primary School, their families, and Garnethill and city centre residents. Connie, children’s art teacher and art coordinator, ran a series of willow lantern making workshops from January-March, both in the regular Children’s Art Club, and in the centre.
It was amazing to see the eclectic and exciting range of lanterns that we created. The children had the freedom to make any lantern they wished, and decorated them with photos we took on Sauchiehall Street. Some lanterns took inspiration from the businesses and atmosphere of the street - this included rabbits, pigeons, stars, a boba cup, and Squinty McGuinty the cat! They show the hive of creativity that is Garnethill, and the diversity and positivity of this community. Even with the weather, residents came to walk together, gathering afterwards in Edward House for refreshments.
The willow lantern making was inspired by the Scots meaning of “Sauchiehall” - which roughly means “field of willows”. We imagined the site of the street before it was built on, as a historic place of passing through, gathering and walking. Willow as the plant that grew there, became the material starting point for the project. The lantern building allowed people to have some fun and express themselves, coming together to celebrate the street’s history and future. It was great to see all ages join the parade.
The project was funded by Glasgow Life, as part of larger ongoing project focusing on the culture and heritage of Sauchiehall Street. A big thank you to Faye and Karen for their support throughout - if you would like to drop into chat about the street - the project space is open at Edward House, on Sauchiehall St.
Below are some brilliant photos from the parade, all taken by Brian Hartley. We also hope to produce a short publication with photos of Sauchiehall Street taken by the members of the GMC Children’s Art Group. Also - we are looking to exhibit the lanterns in windows and shopfronts of Sauchiehall Street - if you are a business/resident who would like to get involved, email community@garnethillmc.co.uk
Link to Glasgow Times article on the parade:
THANK YOU to everyone who came along to the workshops and took part in the parade. Well done!
