‘ Controversy justified Glasgow Effect project’

● £ 15,000 arts funding ‘ worth it’ say creative group

Arts bosses say that paying a lecturer £ 15,000 to stay within Glasgow city boundaries for a year was worth it because of the controversy the project caused.

Creative Scotland funded the Glasgow Effect, a research project by El lie Harrison to determinethe effect that a 12- month self- imposed exile would have on her art during 2015.

The funding body has now said that project was justified, largely because of the controversy it provoked.

Ms Harrison, apart-time Dundee University lecturer who describes herself as an “artist and activist”, took part in 14 talks about the project during her year and produced a 4,500- word essay about higher education.

Creative Scotland came under fire for awarding the £ 15,000 grant to Ms Harrison but a spokeswoman said they were satisfied with the results.

The year-long project saw the artist challenge herself to remain within Glasgow’s city boundaries for a year to gauge what impact it would have on her artistic career.

She also refused to use public transport during her 12- month self- imposed exile in Glasgow.

Ms Harrison’s project attracted controversy because of the public grant she received for it and because the term “Glasgow Effect” was seen as disparaging as it is normally used to describe the poor health of many of the city’s residents.

Creative Scotland said that during her 12 months in Glasgow, time Ms Harrison would have used in paid employment, was used for a number of local, community initiatives and that she had reduced her carbon foot print to zero by only using her bike for transport.

The spokeswoman added: “The project generated an unprecedented amount of media attention and public discourse, questing the role and value of artists in contrib - uting to our civic life; considering the lack of equality in our society and in Gl as gowspecifically; and considering the environmental impacts of everyday decision making.

“These are important issues that don’t present easy answers but Ellie’s work has create space for people to reflect on and discuss these issues through very public means.”

Earlier this year, Ms Harrison said :“People focus on what I spent the money on, not on what I didn’t spend it on.

“The Glasgow Effect was a boycott of the oil industry, of privatised public transport.”