Artist Lisa Gallacher lives and works in Glasgow and has been developing her practice to a national and international level for the past 12 years. Her work focuses on designing and creating wearable garment collections then can be seen as artworks in their own right.   

Lisa has been making regular visits to Parson Cross to work with her selected group of collaborators on developing their ideas and personal stories relating to their neighbourhood into designs for their unique 'Made to Measure' garments. This is her second blog entry:-

“There are many stories about how Parson Cross got its name. It’s possible that at some point in the 1600’s, a parson placed a cross on the roadside to remind travellers that the lord was with them. Others say that there was a parson called Mr Cross and that someone may have slapped a parson and made him cross. It is also possible that two parsons crossed paths on the way to their respective churches every day.

Grant, a local key-worker told me about a parson who would station himself at the crossroads and take a toll from visitors to the area. His parson will wear a purple Teddy- boy style coat. The breast pocket could be embroidered with the emblem ‘PX’ and he may also have a neck-piece or sash that has been designed by members of his own ‘flock’.

In the 1980’s, instead of going to school one day - a young girl got on a bus to the area to see her older sister and stayed until her early twenties. Her dress will represent how Parson Cross became a place of sanctuary for her.

A former Sheffield Transport employee has travelled around the edges of Parson Cross for much of her life. She has marked the landmarks and routes that are significant to her on a map of Parson Cross which will be translated into a digital print and pattern for a blouse. “My grandparents were the first to move to Wheata road when the houses were built in the 1940’s”. As the third generation of her family to live in this house, Dawn wants a dress that will celebrate her heritage and the network of people and memories that connect her to Parson Cross.

Living alongside the human residents, are a large population of magpies, crows, foxes and domestic cats. The urban safari suit (camouflaged for Parson Cross terrain) will allow Ian to observe them without being seen.

Young people say that Parson Cross gets bad press. Jodie’s dress would re-write recent newspaper headlines to reveal the truth about life in the area. David wants a jacket that would reclaim the ‘S5’ post-code from its association with gang activity and Chloe’s outfit would show that despite its reputation, her community is a caring one.

Every Year in the spring, fields of wild flowers appear on the patches of waste ground where houses once stood. Laura’s garment will be edged with the poppies, sunflowers and forget-me-nots that represent (for her) new beginnings from old."

June 2011