Ring o' Roses

Commissioned by the Dundee Public Art Programme as part of the Inner Ring Road project following a limited competition. Funded by Scottish Enterprise Tayside, Dundee District Council and Tayside Regional Council; cost £12,000. Cast aluminum plaque (carved and modelled in MDF then cast in aluminium sections at Archibald Young's Kirkintilloch). Installed in 1996. The title links to the Wishart Arch, which was once used to keep out plague victims. This inspired the use of the song A Ring of Roses (which refers to the plague) and the idea of a ring of children holding hands. This became a ring of nine hands each holding a rose petal, which in turn became a heart-shaped locket with symbols representing the Nine Trades.