We would like to extend our thanks to the Congregation of Govan Old, who welcomed us into their wonderful church on Monday. As well as being home to the Govan Stones, which have huge cultural significance, and a stunning collection of stained glass windows, this is also an active place of worship which has a daily service on this ancient ecclesiastical site. There is a strong continuum of making and creativity at Govan, but also a strong continuum of worship.
With that in mind we decided to bribe the congregation with home baking, and find out their thoughts and feelings about the display of the stones in their place of worship, and what they would like from the screen that we will design for the archway which separates the majority of the Stones, from the Steven Chapel. We have a few major considerations in terms of our design brief.
It is unlikely that we could drill into the actual stonework, any fixings would have to be slim enough to sit in the mortar joints between stones blocks.
Anything we design, has to allow for the free flow of warm air which vents from an enormous heater located next to the stones.
The screen cannot have a base which intrudes into the space or creates trip hazards.
The screen must be robust enough to keep its looks and function for many years to come.
Most of the Congregation we met are pretty happy that there will be a new screen to enhance the appearance of the stones, and their concerns were more pragmatic than aesthetic – namely that nothing got in the way of the functioning of the space, and that as long as there was nothing in the content of the artwork which ran counter to the message of their Church, they would be content.
We had some specific suggestions around the theme of materials, which we can look into. We are now approaching the point where we’ve had a level of consultation which allows us to move onto the design process – exciting!
With that in mind we decided to bribe the congregation with home baking, and find out their thoughts and feelings about the display of the stones in their place of worship, and what they would like from the screen that we will design for the archway which separates the majority of the Stones, from the Steven Chapel. We have a few major considerations in terms of our design brief.
It is unlikely that we could drill into the actual stonework, any fixings would have to be slim enough to sit in the mortar joints between stones blocks.
Anything we design, has to allow for the free flow of warm air which vents from an enormous heater located next to the stones.
The screen cannot have a base which intrudes into the space or creates trip hazards.
The screen must be robust enough to keep its looks and function for many years to come.
Most of the Congregation we met are pretty happy that there will be a new screen to enhance the appearance of the stones, and their concerns were more pragmatic than aesthetic – namely that nothing got in the way of the functioning of the space, and that as long as there was nothing in the content of the artwork which ran counter to the message of their Church, they would be content.
We had some specific suggestions around the theme of materials, which we can look into. We are now approaching the point where we’ve had a level of consultation which allows us to move onto the design process – exciting!
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