Fans flock to artist’s mural in honour of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison
● Appeal to find a permanent space for artwork
For generations of music fans still in mourning at the loss of one of Scotland’s most distinctive and articulate voices, it has already become a place of pilgrimage.
An artist inspired by the life and work of Scott Hutchison, the late Frightened Rabbit frontman, has created a mural in his honour.
The artwork, which depicts Hutchison in bright, bold colours, has attracted hundreds of fans of the band since it was completed in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, with tens of thousands more drawing inspiration from the image after it was widely shared on social media.
The mural is the creation of Michael Corr, a contemporary painter and artist from Campbeltown in Argyll.
For years, the 30-year-old has used Frightened Rabbit’s music as a soundtrack while working in his studio in Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
But after Hutchison was found dead in Port Edgar, near South Queensferry on 10 May, he was left “devastated” by the loss, and decided to channel his grief into the mural, located near Glasgow’s Riverside Museum.
Mr Corr told The Scotsman: “I’ve been totally blown away by the response. While I was working on the mural, people were coming up to me and telling me how much Scott meant to them.
“And since the image has been shared on Twitter and Instagram, you can really see how much people loved him and how much he meant to their lives. It’s almost as if they’re trying to hold on. It’s lovely to see and the whole thing has been quite emotional.”
Mr Corr, a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, thanked organisers of the Scottish Street Food Festival for giving him “free rein” to create the likeness of Hutchison. It was, he says, a cathartic experience.
“I had to do it, I wanted to do it.” he explained. “I listen to Frightened Rabbit a lot when I paint. The lyrics come from quite a dark place, but there’s a glimmer of hope, and it’s so motivational.
“As I was painting, I felt better about the whole situation about Scott. The past couple of weeks has been devastating, but creating the mural has helped me to work through it. It’s been such a sad loss.”
While Mr Corr’s mural has allowed other fans of the band to express their grief, it remains unclear where it will be displayed in the future.
The work was being parcelled up yesterday afternoon and is due to go on display today in the courtyard of Barras Art and Design, near the celebrated Barrowland Ballroom venue in the city’s east end, where Frightened Rabbit performed on multiple occasions.
Mr Corr has been in talks with Hutchison’s brother, Grant, and they hope to find a permanent exhibition space for the mural.
He added :“the mural should be open to the public in the Barras courtyard by noon Tuesday and I think they’re going to keep hold of it until Sunday, but where it goes from there, I don’t know.
“I’ve been speaking to Scott’s brother, Grant, and he wants to go down and see it. I think we all want to find somewhere for the mural that’s more permanent, whether it’s in the Barras or not.
“But the Barras is definitely a brilliant location, because Scott had a real attachment to the place.”
“The past couple of weeks has been devastating, but creating the mural has helped me to work through it. It’s been such a sad loss”
MICHAEL CORR
Artist