Friday 3 December 2010

Dundee's Statues & Their Winter Woolies



I don't know if any other Dundee dwellers have noticed- but our city's statues have been looking pretty cosy over the last few weeks. It all started a few weeks ago, when I noticed that the bronze penguins outside Dundee Steeple Church were all wrapped up in very jolly hand-knitted red and white scarves! And it seemed like more than a coincidence when our Rabbie Burns at McManus Galleries started sporting an equally lovely striped hand-knit.



And these are only the ones that I've managed to photograph- also spotted dressed for the cold have been Dundee's Deperate Dan (in front of the Caird Hall) and the little bronze monkey who sits atop the Information board on High Street.

Any why not? Glasgow's famous Duke of Wellington statue famously wears a traffic cone hat for most of the year- and across the water knitta decorates everyday city life with brightly coloured crochets and knits. And the nicest thing about the knitting that's been appearing around town, is that it's been created by resident knitters- Ardler Knitting Group. It's public art, created by those who live and work around the existing monuments- with the simple message of warmth, empathy, good will and community through the cold winter months.