Falkirk Council

11/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2024 10:56

COVID-19 memorial officially unveiled in Callendar Park

Pictured: Council Leader Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn and artist Caspar J Wilson in front of the Covid-19 memorial

A memorial to honour those who have been impacted by Covid-19 was unveiled in Callendar Park on Saturday 16 November 2024.

The 'Remembering Together' memorial is a tribute to the collective experience of loss and resilience during the pandemic and provides a quiet, peaceful space for reflection.

Caspar J Wilson of Studio Caspar was appointed to lead on public engagement and design of a memorial to commemorate losses from Covid 19 using ringfenced funding allocated by the Scottish Government. Engagement involved conversations with many local organisations in the community, public and third sector, and workshops with key partners:

  • Carmuirs Primary School
  • Larbert High School
  • Forth Valley College, and
  • Forth Valley Sensory Centre.

The engagement process produced a set of design principles for the memorial based on the hopes and wishes of the community for the memorial to be a permanent artwork in a place of nature that is easily accessible and that the work be uplifting while honouring the shared experience of remembrance.

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council, said:

"This memorial is a testament to our community's strength, and Callendar Park provides a fitting place to reflect on how we were each affected by the pandemic. Our open green spaces became deeply cherished during difficult times, and this memorial embodies the form of connection, comfort and sense of calm when we needed it most."

The galvanised steel sculpture features two sets of five curved monoliths, inspired by workshops and stories from local people.

The artist describes the memorial as:

The design takes its root in a rising gesture, a rippling upwards and outwards. Two sets of five curved monoliths rise directly from the grass, rising together towards a 'doorway' that takes the viewers gaze over the water, towards the woods and into the sky above. This gives the impression of the curved steel panels floating out of the earth, combining both the great weight of our experience with a powerful lightness as we look towards the future.

Caspar J Wilson, Studio Caspar said:

"Since 2022 I've been talking to all kinds of people, both in workshops and on the street, about what we have lost due to Covid. When they told me about their wishes for a memorial, it was often in terms of contrasts. Something that is not completely enclosed, but that you can feel surrounded by. Something that is serious and also optimistic. As an artist I have tried to hold these contrasts in my heart and create something that reflects the weight of loss and also the lightness of reaching into the future. An early motif in my sketchbook was two hands cupped together, and the feeling of that motif has been carried through to the ten fingers of the final work. I hope visitors can find a supportive calm in this beautiful site in Callendar Park."

Each local authority was funded by the Scottish Government as part of the 'Remembering Together' programme, to create ways of recognising the impact the pandemic had on peoples' lives in local communities in partnership with Greenspace Scotland.

Remembering Together is a national project that seeks to give each of Scotland's 32 local authorities the chance to reflect their unique experience of the Covid-19 pandemic with the help of commissioned artists and creative organisations. Over the past year, Greenspace Scotland in partnership with Falkirk Council alongside commissioned artists and makers, have embarked on an extensive process of co-creation with the wider Falkirk Council community to create a memorial that authentically reflects the experiences of residents, and creates a lasting space of gathering for future generations.