REFLECT Garelochhead

Shelter

Garelochhead Centre 81, led by artist Emma Henderson

Emma Henderson is an artist and educator with a background in design and printmaking. Her practice explores heritage crafts, technology, ecology, and community. For REFLECT, Remembering Together, Emma worked with communities around the Garelochhead area, particularly those who access the community space and garden at Centre 81, including Route 81, Garelochhead Station Trust, Helensburgh and Lomond Carers and F.A.C.E Ability Group, to co-design a space for reflection and remembering. 

“It has been so special to bring this project to Centre 81; I already knew that I loved working with the community there and was actively seeking projects that could provide the garden with more support and encourage others to use the space. This project surpassed my expectations and brought not just a strengthening of professional relationships but a real deepening of community connection personally. It has been a joy to be part of this community, and I will continue to seek out ways of working with these groups in particular, as well as ways to challenge myself further.” - Emma Henderson

Emma Henderson drew inspiration from the National Museum of Northern Ireland’s quote as a starting point: “While we have a shared past, we don’t have a shared memory”. Emma worked with Centre 81's core users to empower them to share their stories and experiences to create a collective space for reflection and remembrance, hosting creative workshops and activities, including zine making and a community memory gathering project, ‘Postcards from the pandemic’ to identify feelings around lockdown. Through model-making workshops, the groups at Centre 81 designed how the new shelter should work, look and feel. Emma and local artist Thom Switalski-Rees fabricated a new multiuse garden shelter from these workshops, which was opened to Centre 81’s users on 17 August 2024 as part of Remembering Together, REFLECT Community Day. Alongside the shelter unveiling, locals were invited to join a community BBQ, listen to live music and co-create new chalk murals and a willow heart sculpture, which will be a permanent feature in the garden.

“The shelter has been designed to be fully accessible for all users and sited in a part of the garden accessible to wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. It is open on three sides, with the side nearest the loch featuring a raised bed and trellis to encourage scented and climbing plants. With the side facing the prevailing wind partially covered and a full-size roof, the shelter can accommodate groups of up to 10 people at a time. Beams suitable for hanging materials can be used to display artwork, attach hammocks, and even have a projector, allowing for multiple uses throughout the seasons. With a rug painted on the ground, the shelter has a homely feel, complete with a yellow roof and stained yellow wood it seems to glow, provides a light bright and welcoming place to rest and reflect.” - Emma Henderson

Find out more about REFLECT, Remembering Together:

Keep up with Emma’s work here.

REFLECT, Remembering Together was funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Greenspace Scotland in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council and the Culture, Heritage & Arts Assembly, Argyll & Isles (CHARTS).