Bobbin

Info from P Johnson & Co: “The Bobbin, a 4 metre tall sculpture depicting an iconic image from Dundee's Jute processing era, has been installed at the foot of the new student accommodation block Opal 1, in the Parker Street area of Dundee, historically the site of the jute mill workers tenement housing. Artist Adrienne McStay, inspired by the bobbins that held the thread used to make the jute fabric, designed The Bobbin and created the glass beads that adorn The Bobbin. There are 498 glass beads threaded onto The Bobbin, representing each student living in Opal 1. The artist blacksmiths at Ratho Byres Forge were responsible for developing the conceptual design, fabricating The Bobbin, installation on site and the installation of the subtle ambient lighting. A 4 metre tall wooden former was made at our workshop. 1428 metres of round bar were then wrapped around the former to represent the the skeletal bobbin shape and the Jute threads wrapping the bobbin. On removal of the former, The Bobbin was hot dip galvanised and acid etched prior to installation.”