Hawick's waterwheel to be projected back in time

The historic waterwheel under the Heart of Hawick will be projected back to life.

It will hark back to the days the wheel powered a spinning mill on the site, bringing back memories of the golden years of textile production in the town.

The specially-commissioned installation, by artist Andy McKinnon, will be on view as part of a new programme of events, which include the opening of a temporary film exhibition about labour, textiles and womanhood in Hawick by Jessie Growden, titled “I’ve Only Been Here Half My Life”.

The artwork will be launched over the weekend of Friday and Saturday, November 26 and 27, and it will take the form of a multi-channel moving-image installation projected directly on to the waterwheel, inspired by the spinning mill wheel, cinema reels and early cinematograph technology such as the zoetrope.

Meanwhile, archive footage will be projected on to the glass floor of the cafe above it.

“The waterwheel under the floor of the Heart of Hawick is an important symbol of Hawick’s history as centre of Scottish’s textiles,” said Rachael Disbury, Alchemy's director of programme, engagement and development.

“This exciting new installation will bring the mill wheel to life with projected moving image, including sequences of locally-sourced archival film and home movies reflecting aspects of the town’s social history and rich textile heritage.

“It marks the building’s history as a spinning mill and, since 1910, as a cinema, as well as celebrating local archive film collections.”

The artist, Andy Mackinnon, said: “It has been a fantastic privilege to work with Alchemy Film and Arts and the film archive to create what I hope will be an engaging and thought-provoking moving image installation in the Heart of Hawick, re-animating a unique part of Hawick heritage.”

The Waterwheel commission is part of The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil programme.

For further information on the events planned to mark the launch of Waterwheel visit: https://alchemyfilmandarts.org.uk/once-upon-a-time-in-hawick/