Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Pond statue mystery
Sculpture placed in water is nicknamed ‘Keptie Kev’
C ROW DS gat he r e d at Arbroath’s Keptie Pond over the weekend after a myste r i o u s s t a t u e appeared in the water.
The silver humanoid figure, which is knee-deep in the water and described as looking like an alien, drew curious families to the beauty spot.
Speculation continues to grow about the identity of the artist behind the statue.
Volunteer group Keptie Friends posted on social media to say it does not know who is behind the piece.
Most were in favour of the new arrival, which locals have nicknamed Keptie Kev or Mirror Man, but some said the “creepy” piece should be removed from the pond.
The statue, which was fitted with solar panels and lights, lit up overnight. It toppled over on Saturday evening but fans of the work had righted it by mid-morning yesterday.
Linda Dickerson, from Arbroath, said: “I love these sorts of things. I just think they are great.
“Look how many people have come down just to see it. It looks well done by whoever created it.”
Lee Mitchell used a kayak to take a closer look. He paddled to the statue and said: “I can confirm that he’s not alive.
“It’s got a solar panel on the back and it’s covered in decoration which looks like a plastic kind of chainmail.”
Iain McGurk, a j oiner from Arbroath, said: “It’s unusual, I’ll say that. It’s brought people out.
“It’s something the area needs, especially since the rowing boats were taken away from the pond.”
The piece has been linked with Rob Mulholland’s Mirror Man statue, which was removed from Loch Earn last year.
He said: “If it is has been called the Mirror Man, then it is not my one. Hopefully someone has been inspired rather than copied it.”
Another theory links the statue with Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley’s figures, which were recently returned to locations in the Water of Leith in Edinburgh.
The Keptie Pond statue, however, appears to have been made from a mannequin decorated with plastic, rather than Gormley’s cast iron sculptures.
Kirsty Hawe brought her daughter Mirren, 3, to the pond to see the statue on Saturday afternoon.
“I want to see him because he looks so funny,” the toddler said.