Botanic Garden

You may stop by and wonder at the seemingly random matrix of numbers exhibited here on the post, and that is the artist’s intention. Foxglove, also known as Scottish bells, is commonly seen in the botanic garden. The artist, Ian Hamilton-Finlay, decided to use abstract numbers to imitate the organic structure of the bells – take a look at each number: you will realise each of them forms a link shaped like the bells in bloom. Each number follows its own shape but is inevitably linked to other numbers, in the same way that the flowers need to follow the rules of the season. With its clear-cut outline and abstract numbers, the post makes a conspicuous contrast to the surrounding bush.

Hamilton-Finlay had originally hoped that the post could be placed in the midst of foxgloves, so that it could make a clearer image conveying the message that the formation of nature depends on a series of elements, each with its own indispensable significance. Despite the lack of foxgloves directly surrounding the post, you can still spot some just across the road, near Fungate.

Young visitors nowadays may not remember the 'Y2K' problem, also known as the 'Millennium Bug'. It refers to a series of events related to the formatting and storage of the data for dates in coding in and after the year 2000, the word ‘bug’ used here to represent glitches. Before the turn to the century, many programs used only two digits for four-digit year numbers, thus making the year 2000 problematically indistinguishable from 1900. In the years leading up to 2000, the Y2K scare snowballed into a series of debates and discussions including but not limited to the coding issues – lack of clarity in information regarding the potential dangers of the problem were met with apocalyptical myths and general curiosity about the new century, and a huge wave of people responded with stock up on food, water, and arms, as well as withdrawal of larges sums of money from the banks.

Graeme Hopper, tired of the Y2K problem and the anxiety that its relevant discussions exert, decided to create a pair of galvanised Millennium Bugs to address his attitude on the issue. He made a small biological mistake in the designing phase and gave each of them eight legs instead, making them more like arachnids rather than insects. Nonetheless, the pair stand between a circle of trees as a huge, noticeable landmark to any visitor who sets foot in the garden. After years of exhibition, the botanic garden decided to purchase these Bugs for permanent show and even asked the artist to make children for the pair: if you turn to your left while facing the Bugs, you will notice their offspring hanging in the tree with metal cocoons.