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james73

Fury as vandals destroy art project centrepiece

THE centrepiece of a £1million art project that helped transform the Gorbals needs
major repairs after it was destroyed by vandals.

The Gatekeeper, which links new homes at Malta Terrace and Caledonian Road,
became an icon for the regeneration of the area on the South Side when it was
unveiled in the Evening Times in 2002.

Now the vast glass photograph that formed one half of the £100,000 landmark
will have to be replaced.

The specially-toughened glass could withstand the weight of a man bouncing
on it but it is believed a small projectile struck a vulnerable point on the glass,
causing cracks to spread across the 17ft by 12ft centre panel.

Water and weather then combined to destroy the work which is now held together
with glue, perspex and plywood.

The sculpture is among dozens - some life-size human figures, others tiny work
that are only spotted by chance - which were funded by developers Redrow
under the "Percent for Art" scheme which contributes part of the overall cost of
houses to the environment they share.

Artist Matt Baker, who worked with former business partner Dan Dubowitz to create
the work, said: "It's a bit of a shame the work has been damaged.

"It seems that nowadays everyone in the Gorbals is an art critic but fortunately
most people have really taken the artworks to their hearts."

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...