JAMES Watt Sculpture Installation Getting Underway
WORK has started on installation of a new sculpture to commemorate the life and work of Greenock-born engineer and inventor James Watt.
Breaking The Mould, created by Jason Orr, will be at the Watt Institution, Greenock, and is the culmination of a wider project — Watt? — which also features an augmented reality app and heritage trail.
Watt? has been created by RIG Arts with a £33,500 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The sites of the Watt Heritage Trail are the Dutch Gable House and former James Watt College buildings on William Street, Greenock, at the Watt Institution, Kelly Street, Greenock and the Watt Memorial Cairn at Greenock Cemetery
The project commemorates Watt’s genius but also acknowledges both his family’s links to slavery and his personal opposition to it. He cancelled an order for one of his engines from a French company, based in Haiti, where slaves were fighting for their freedom.
In a letter to the firm he said, “We heartily pray that the system of slavery, so disgraceful to humanity, were abolished by prudent though progressive measures.”
Councillor Jim Clocherty, convener of Inverclyde Council’s education and communities committee, said: “RIG Arts has come up with an amazing project which uses traditional and contemporary techniques to provide a ‘warts and all’ perspective on James Watt and his achievements.
“His impact on the world was enormous and it is right that we celebrate his achievements. But we must never forget that much of the wealth generated during the period was based on slavery.”
Karen Orr, chief executive at RIG Arts said: “Watt? celebrates Greenock’s most famous son in his birthplace. We used creative research to work with our community to interpret, record and share the history of James Watt and to acknowledge his importance locally, nationally and internationally.
“The project was created to support Inverclyde’s celebration of James Watt’s bicentenary and has used creativity and technology to share heritage with a wider audience.
“The outputs of the project have been a Watt augmented reality heritage trail, an interactive sculpture, a comic book, animations and a script for a short play have showcased the story of James Watt in an innovative and contemporary way which will engage people throughout Inverclyde and beyond.”
Pupils from St Patrick’s Primary School worked on the animation ‘James Watt How Who?’ and volunteers from the Inverclyde Tourist Group assisted the children with their research.
St Columba’s High and St Patrick’s pupils wrote a script — ‘Watts Happening?’ and they performed it as part of the local Galoshans festival in 2019.
Meanwhile Inverclyde Men’s Shed took part in creative research workshops and created a one-third scale replica Boulton and Watt engine.
