Made from Girders sampler

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made from girders: OUR Forth Bridge ‘I’m an artist. With a small ‘a’ that is,’ Gordon Muir begins with a grin. As the designer and sculptor of the memorials to those who died during the Forth Bridge construction, his life and work are closely intertwined with the girders of the iconic bridge. Despite this, he is not easily defined, a wiry mixture of irreverence and intensity. ‘If you’re an artist, you can apply that to any discipline really,’ he finishes. Having spent the last hour in the presence of the raconteur, I can definitely see what he means. Raised in the Borders town of Hawick, at the time the epicentre of the cashmere industry, he departed for art school in London and soon shifted his focus from Fine Art to Graphic Design. Following his degree, he embarked on a world tour, learning from artists around the globe. ‘Wood block and paper making in Japan, lithography in the States – I should have kept travelling really. I returned to Scotland to begin work, but I was far too young. Through a friend, I became involved in the music industry and ended up managing a band from Zimbabwe called the Bhundu Boys.’ Under Gordon’s direction, the musicians enjoyed considerable touring success, including supporting Madonna at Wembley in 1987. Eventually, Muir moved back to the South Queensferry area, where he has been based for 25 years, to work with friend and landscape architect Paul Hogarth. ‘If you live in Queensferry, you live and breathe the bridge, you can’t help that. For me, the Forth Bridge is such a huge metaphor for connecting people. It’s what happened for me!’ Being steeped in Zimbabwean music and the Bhundu Boys’ distinctive Jit style, Gordon’s teenage son formed a band with friends: Bwani Junction. ‘One of my most memorable Forth Bridge memories is of standing on top of the North Tower at 8am. The clouds were just dissolving beneath us, and my son and his band were playing happy birthday for me. It was the awesomeness of the spectacle, but also a family thing at the same time. At the time there was only a rickety old lift to take you up there, you know!’ Gordon’s work as an artist has touched on the Forth Bridge in several ways over the years. ‘I collaborated on some of the signage around South Queensferry, for a start. Then I did some work on 20
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Made from Girders sampler

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