Glasgow’s Finnieston crane becomes tribute to George Wyllie

By CRAIG BROWN
Published on 13/10/2012 00:00

A BRIGHT yellow question mark has been hung from Glasgow’s Finnieston crane as a tribute to the Scottish artist George Wyllie.

The steel sculpture, called the Big Clyde Question Mark, weighs a ton and was hoisted into place to hang from the crane’s arm, where it will remain until next February.

It is part of a series of events that pay homage to the life of Wyllie, who died last May. The artist adopted the question mark as his trademark, reflecting his interest in questioning conventional artforms. One of his most famous artworks was the Straw Locomotive, a sculpture that was hung from the Finnieston crane for several months in 1987, before being taken down and burned.

The current sculpture was designed by Greenock-based artist and friend Alec Galloway, and was manufactured using steel from Ferguson’s shipyards in Port Glasgow.

The structure is part of the Whysman Festival, a celebration of Wyllie’s work that received £158,510 from the Year of Creative Scotland’s First in a Lifetime Experiences.