Many artists were involved in revitalising certain spots around Dundee in the 80's when the Public Art Projects were on the go. I've already posted a few examples up on Retro over the past couple of years, you may recall.
Well here's another one for the collection.
Lots of you will be familiar with the Lochee Road fence, but you may not be quite so familiar with who did it. Well the chap who painted all that snazzy artwork was Peter Flynn.
The top image is Peter in full flow!
The picture underneath it is a section showing the finished design.
The last I heard, he was, and maybe still is, an art teacher at St Johns.
Bit of history here. The panels were made and installed by John McConnachie(Builders)Ltd as part of the 'tidy up' of the area. We made the panels in our workshop in N Isla St and then they were painted up, nice to put a face to the guy that done the painting. That would have been around 1982/83, McConnachies went burst in 1984.
ReplyDeleteThere was talk going around at the time that the fence was the "longest" piece of public art in Europe. Don't know if it was a fact or just a jokey quip?
ReplyDeletePeter Flynn was my art teacher at Arbroath Academy in 199/93 and then angain 1996/7. I think he left at the end of 97.
ReplyDeleteI also went to Ducan of Jordanstone with his Son. Although I believe Flynn Jnr did design.
Where in Lochee is/was the fence?
ReplyDeleteIt ran in the gap sites between the bottom of Lochee Road beside the Police HQ up to the multis at Pole Park,
ReplyDeleteYou can see what's left of it on Google Earth Street View (although the Google camera car seems to have veered off into Dudhope Park, instead of Lochee Road, at one point!).
ReplyDeleteI think all this 'landscaping' was done because parts of Lochee Road were being pulled down in preparation for the blasting through of a 'North-West Radial' dual carriageway, one of Tayside Region's pet roads projects, to connect the Inner Ring Road with the Lochee Bypass.
He's still at the Johnnies as far as I'm aware.
ReplyDeleteHe sure is still at the Johnnies and as well as teaching the kids there he still paints and exhibits regularly.The fence was errected in 1983 and it's quite amazing to drive past it daily on our way to work and see some of it still standing. Also interesting to note that the bits still standing are untouched by grafitti! Peter also was responsible for the "Polepark Arch" just further up the Lochee Rd on the corner of Polepark St.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed 1982 into 1983. Done by Peter Flynn a recent graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone. Peter went on to be Head of Art Department in St John's High Dundee while continuing to work and exhibit. He is now retired and paints in his studio and exhibits Nationally. See some of his work at www.schoolhousestudio.co
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