07/07/2008 01:36:00
Four artists have been selected from a catalogue of over 70 applicants to create a new artwork in Inverness.
The proposal will see a £70, 000 facelift for the city's Ramada Hotel on Church Street, as part of the Inverness Old Town Art project - a £6 million scheme to improve Inverness' streetscape.
The final team of artists who will work on the project are: Glasgow-sculptor Alex Frost, Hsiao-Chi Si, Kimiya Yoshikawa and Usman Haque, all from London.
According to the BBC, Mr Frost is an exhibitor at the Sorcha Dallas galley in Glasgow, while Usman Haque is a design company based in the capital and the other two artists are recent graduates of the Royal College of Art. However, only one of these artists will be chosen to revamp the building front.
Susan Christie from the Inverness Old Town Art team, said: "We could not be more delighted with the breadth and diversity of artists who applied to transform this highly visible building in the city centre.
"Two sculptors, a textile artist and a design company that works with unusual and new technologies have been selected for the next stage."
The proposed artworks are the latest in a sweep of public art projects that are taking place across the UK. In May, for example, the final list of artists in the running for creating an artwork in Ebbsfleet in Kent to mark the construction of Ebbsfleet International Station was announced.
In addition, Nottingham University erected the UK's tallest freestanding public artwork last month, while acclaimed sculptor Anthony Gormley won the chance to display a "living sculpture" on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth for 24-hours a day over 100 days.