GOMA led a walking tour around Glasgow City Centre to discover sculptural gems, both old and new. All the people present were part of Glasgow Health Walks network – Free walks up to an hour long led by volunteers – http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/healthwalks

Health Walks deliver an array of social benefits including making people fitter, healthier and improving their mental health.

We were very lucky with the weather and started the tour at the Gallery of Modern Art, moving on outside to the statue of the Duke of Wellington by the artist Carlo Marochetti with the ever present and infamous traffic cone atop his head. We then made our way down to the river Clyde to view La Pasionaria by the artist Arthur Dooley as seen in the photo. From there, we walked further on to get a good view of a disused railway bridge. The artist Ian Hamilton Finlay had the words ‘All greatness stands firm in the storm’ in both English and Greek carved into the concrete pillars as his contribution to a city-wide public art project in 1990 – Glasgow’s year as European Capital of Culture. This artwork was great to see as it ties in with the show on in GOMA at the moment: ‘Ian Hamilton Finlay – Poet, Artist, Revolutionary’ on until spring 2014.

A short distance away is the Merchant City area of Glasgow where we walked past traditional sculptures, decorative art and contemporary installations. On the wall on Tontine Lane we were intrigued to find a neon sign stating ‘Dug out canoe found AD 1871’ by the artist Louise Crawford and architect Ian Alexander. This artwork sparked interest and discussion amongst the group about the rich history of Glasgow. In all, the walk took two hours to complete and was an interesting and healthy way to discover the city.

Another walk is programmed on Sunday 25 August 1.00–3.00pm. FREE, drop-in.

Please meet at the entrance at GOMA, places are limited.