I am @ForTheBurds. Always...

Context is everything.
I asked my husband if this would make a good Blip and he said, 'I don't know what's happening here...'
So... some background.

This picture shows Captain Pepysman, in 'real' life the first mate of Angela McEwan, creator of the George Wyllie Education Initiative.

Through this project, thousands of schoolchildren studied the work of the late George Wyllie in the latter half of 2012.

George Wyllie, who lived in Gourock for more than 50 years, was an engineer, turned sailor, turned customs and excise officer turned internationally renowned artist.

His most famous works, the Straw Locomotive (1987) and the Paper Boat (1989), captured the hearts and minds of all who saw them.

Today saw the launch of the Wyllie inspired Origami fleet of Paper Boats at Custom House Quay in Greenock. It took place outside the shiny new Beacon Arts Centre and still-under-wraps-as-it's being-refurbished old Custom House.

George used to work in the Custom House during his time as a Customs & Excise officer. He retired at the age of 58 and 'made time for art'.

I was in Greenock in my role as the current messenger of all things Wylliean. I've been involved with George's family for the last few years, helping to make sure that his art-for-all approach to creativity is celebrated far and wide.

George died last year at the age of 90, just as The Whysman Festival (funded by Creative Scotland - thanks guys!) held in his name, was getting off the ground.
A central plank of this celebration was the George Wyllie Education Initiative

This saw schoolchildren from across Clydeside studying George's life and work going off on all sort of tangents and getting well and truly inspired.

Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning has Blipped tonight hereabout the Paper Boat launch.

Feorlean is in this picture - just behind Captain Pepysman...

Also in the background, is George's younger daughter Elaine and her daughter Jennifer.

Feorlean talks in today's Blip about George's anarchic approach to creativity.

This event, which was supposed to take place in Glasgow on Hogmanay last year but was delayed because of bad weather, was part of the Beacon Arts Centre's First Beam of Light festivities.

It was superbly choreographed. After a from-the-heart speech from Feorlean, which left politics to one side and concentrated on the crazy genius of George, a choir of local school children sang his Paper Boat song.

George penned this ditty in 1989 when he launched his giant Paper Boat in the River Clyde. The Greenock-based De Capo choir sang it as the boat was launched, conducted by George in a white boiler suit and sailor's hat...

Then the handover of our Paper Boats began.

It was a Dadaist affair. Trays of colourfully decorated Paper Boats made by the school kids were handed over to a mix of life sized swan dancers (George said he was For the Burds because they 'claim their freedom'), helpers and acting sea captain Pepysman.

The boats were all loaded on to the tug boat, Anglegarth, amid much posturing from the assembled swan dancers as the choir - and a recording of George's voice - sang the Paper Boat song.

The Svitzer Anglegarth chugged out into the Firth of Clyde to the strains of a lone piper and a sailor cast the wee boats into the water.

We had some of the school kids and one of their teachers on board but health and safety dictated they had to be safely corralled.

Seagulls followed in the tug boat's wake, swooping down on our tiny paper boats, thinking they were tasty morsels. They were disappointed as they sank quickly without a trace.

A couple of press photographers, looking for the BIG graphic finish of thousands of paper boats in the water wondered where the drama was.

I've worked in newspapers long enough to know what they meant as they'd have a boss saying to them, 'I can't see the hundreds of paper boats being cast into the water as promised in that press release Jan Patience sent out'.

Dear Blippers, I'm here to tell you the drama was in the moment; being on Custom House Quay, George's music, the crazy swans, the wee tiny boats, the kids, the assembled crowd, the lone piper, the seagulls travelling in the big boat's wake, the background of the hills and the shipyard cranes looming like giant stick insects.

Is that it, someone asked?

At that moment, the Anglegarth - a fire protection boat - shot out jet after jet of water into all around and into the air, causing rainbows to form to the side as the sun caught the spray.

This was followed by a chorus of bellowing foghorns. The kids on board were having fun pressing the foghorn button.

All the paper boats were gone.

Just as George Wyllie made a profound statement with his own Paper Boat about the decline of the once roaring shipbuilding industry on the Clyde, so our wee flotilla of Paper Boats, created with love and care, finally disappeared.

It was an ending but also a beginning.

The George Wyllie Foundation has now been set up to carry on and foster George's 'crazy, anarchic' approach to creativity.

I'm one of the Trustees and it is our fervent hope that we will have a 'Wyllieum' at the Custom House where George once worked.

From that base we will attempt to carry on George's Art For All philosophy.

Wish us luck...