Kelpies artist reveals rejected whale statue

THE Scottish artist who had hoped to bring a lifesize sculpture of a whale to Dundee has revealed how it could have looked had council bosses taken his plans further.

US-based sculptor Andy Scott, best known for his iconic Kelpies statue in Falkirk, posted a picture of his proposed bowhead whale and calf on social media.

The image was released weeks after the artist said the statue had been designed with Dundee in mind.

The steel maquette – a smallscale mock-up of how the sculpture would look – shows the bowhead in mid-swim with a calf above it.

Mr Scott’s sculpture also depicts the whale’s dramatic baleen plates – the huge vertical filters through which it feeds.

In the picture, posted on Instagram, Mr Scott can be seen pensively examining the proposed creation.

In a caption accompanying the picture, Mr Scott wrote: “The recent idea for a life-size bowhead whale (18m/60ft long) and her calf is yet to come to fruition, but the intent of the sculpture has already been captured in this steel maquette.

“It was a speculative proposal but sadly it fell through. We remain hopeful of finding a home for it.”

Mr Scott’s post attracted 1,200 “likes” and almost 50 comments from appreciative fans, several of whom expressed hopes that a full-size sculpture would become a reality.

Even if it does, it will not be in Dundee. Last month, the Tele revealed Mr Scott had approached Dundee City Council to offer them the design for Waterfront Place, alongside

V&A Dundee.

He designed the sculpture with the City of Discovery in mind, both recognising its contributions to the historical whaling industry and modern conservation efforts in the Tay.

However, the city council did not respond to his pitch and its claims that consultancy firm Morgan Sindall responded on his behalf are still denied by Mr Scott to this day.

Instead, the council has started a design competition for a “digital playground” in Waterfront Place.

Mr Scott said he does not intend to enter the contest.

Andy Scott with a small-scale steel mock-up sculpture of the bowhead whale in mid-swim with a calf above it.