The giant Roman head sculpture commissioned for the ‘Antonine Wall Distance Stones’ project is finally free from being fenced off from the general public while finishing touches were put to the surrounding stone- and brick-work.
‘Silvanus’ finally ‘open’ to the public
Built from weathering steel and standing over six metres tall, the head – christened ‘Silvanus’ thanks to a local school children’s naming competition – stands on the Antonine wall overlooking the Union Canal and the hills to the North of Kilsyth.
The, rather upmarket, information board is an integral part of the installation
The sculpture was designed by artist Svetlana Kondakova and built by blacksmith Gordon Simpson’s company, Bigredblacksmiths. Both of the collaborating artists are products of Edinburgh College of Art and are hoping to be involved in further collaborative projects.
The steel plate has already been tagged by the locals
There will be an official opening ceremony taking place within the next couple of months, but the Covid 19 situation meant that everything had to be put on hold until opening up details had been published.
Master of all he surveys…
‘Silvanus’ is part of the ‘Antonine Wall Distance Stones’ project, which, itself forms part of a wider ‘Rediscovering the Antonine Wall’ project working across central Scotland to build better connections for communities and visitors along the length of the Antonine Wall.
