Mick Peter is an artist who makes playful work that investigates the symbols of power and authority using satirical and witty illustrations.

For this ambitious new work Peter, together with young people from across Greater Glasgow, have created an 80m long ‘billboard’ to cover the empty façade of a historic former gas-purifying shed in the East End of the city. The new hoarding depicts, in drawings reminiscent of a newspaper strip cartoon, crumbling buildings from different eras, including a medieval castle, tenement housing as well as modern flats in the process of being demolished. Peering through the windows of these buildings, visitors will see surprising and humorous scenes made by Peter and the young people, who have also imagined what public art might look like for the site. A solitary piece of ‘public sculpture’ will be wheeled out ceremoniously each day before being returned to its lockup behind the new drawn façade.

The project is intended to create a thought provoking double take on the hoardings that surround building sites whilst inviting us to consider Glasgow’s architectural history and the loaded nature of the transformation of its industrial built heritage.

The young people’s participation in the project has been led by a core curatorial group of students from Glasgow School of Art’s Widening Participation team. These are: Luke Andrew, Caitlin Callaghan, Shannon Flockhart, Thomas Whiting, Fraser Whiting, Teagn Duffy and Kristen McNairn. Young people involved in making the work are Erin Barclay, Tanya Belkaid, Stephanie Binns, Heather Clydesdale, Duncan Colquhoun, Scott Jaffrey, Amy Jones, Ebubechi Okey-Adibe, Evie Peat, Abbey Roy, Adam Swinscoe and Emily Walker.

Commissioned by Glasgow International, Year of Young People 2018 and Festival 2018 — the cultural programme of the Glasgow 2018 European Championship. Supported by Clyde Gateway and Glasgow School of Art’s Widening Participation Department.