‘Fireflight’ was a two week-long exhibition from the 23rd of February to the 6th of March hosted by the Hidden Gardens in Govanhill, Glasgow. The exhibition comprised of three works of art by Sculpture & Environmental Art students; Ciaran Cannon, Lily Krempel & Chiara Mancini. Ciaran exhibited four insect sculptures sculpted from wood of well-managed forests: pine, oak and walnut, their wings, legs and antennae made from scrap metal found on an ex-industrial site by the Clyde. Chiara installed a bird feeder, designed keeping in mind recent discoveries about bird’s vision, such as their ability to see UV colours and their eye for symmetry. The feeder is decorated with a UV pattern that is only visible to birds.

The premise for our collaborative exhibition was to bring people together in the cold of February and March in the sanctuary of the gardens; to bring awareness to the ecology of the site; the insects, birds and wildlife of the Hidden Gardens and to hold space for a relationship to the ‘natural’ world drawing together the ecosystem of the garden, its visitors, local people and students of the Glasgow School of Art.

I spent five days accompanying our sculptures in the space of the woodland glade where the old tram tracks draw out from the gallery to the back of the hidden gardens. I watched as gusts of storm heaved with meteorological might at the soaring trees. The mammoth birches with wavering spines, forearms and fingers akimbo filled my view of Glasgow’s sky. If the winds breath whipped at the right height, the whirl of my ‘Dials’ would commence, momentarily spinning before that flock of air would cease to occupy the ether. With wind, came rain and hail, followed by the charms of soft white snow. The February cold seeped up from the chilled earth, crept under the skin of my steel-toe capped boots and settled snuggly in my muscles.

My desire for the artwork in the garden was to disrupt the darkness of the time of year, to ignite our human yearning for light, our draw to warmth and to inspire awe for magic. At lunchtimes in the woodland glade I lit fires beneath the structure of the dials, activating the sculpture-work. The heat from the fire and smoke causes hot air to rise above cooler air, creating an airflow. If strong enough, it is directed in-between the segmented dial vents which in-turn revolve the steel spinning dials.

People gathered and shared poetry, stories and music by the fireside. On Friday Otis Jordan and Fin Rosenbaum performed an interactive drumming on the sculpture-work, Jameela Gordon-King read poetry and Isabel Coulier hosted a written fire gathering. Further poetry and music was shared by Arthur, Paul and Alan. On Saturday Maria Makaroff played the flute. On Sunday Rowan Bazley and Maria Domingue played a duet on the flute and guitar.