08/05/2008 01:24:00
Proposals for what is likely to be Britain's largest piece of public sculpture have been unveiled.
The five artists competing for the privilege of having their work exhibited at the apex of a hilltop in Ebbsfleet, Kent, are former Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, Rachel Whiteread, Richard Deacon, Christopher Le Brun and French artist Daniel Buren.
The planned artwork, the idea of which was first announced in January this year, is to mark the construction of Ebbsfleet International station in north Kent, as well as the launch of Ebbsfleet Valley, a development of 10, 000 new homes on land between Dartford and Gravesend. The structure will also be visible to motorists driving to and from Dover.
According to the Guardian, Wallinger's proposal - which involves a giant, 50-metre tall white horse, costing £2 million - is the current favourite among critics. Rachel Campbell-Johnston, Chief Art Critic for The Times, stated in a column today:
"The horse will articulate the landscape, and a work on this scale is as much about the landscape as the piece itself.
"Its location is not only astride the Garden of England, but also the Gateway to England - to be seen by people in their thousands every week, in minutes, even moments, as they travel by train, and road, between London and the Continent."
The Ebbsfleet sculpture is being touted as the south of England's answer to the Angel of the North, Anthony Gormley's 20-metre structure outside Newcastle/Gateshead.
However, while the Angel of the North was publically funded, the Ebbsfleet sculpture will be paid for by Eurostar, London & Continental Railways and Land Securities, who are the key developers in Ebbsfleet Valley.
All five proposals will be displayed at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent from May 27, and the winner will be announced in autumn this year. The building of the artwork is expected to be completed in 2010.