A sad ref lection... the end of the Mirror Man

Row over ownership may stop statue returning to loch

FOR years he has stood in the shallow waters of Loch Earn, attracting the attention of curious passers-by.

As a tourist attraction the Mirror Man statue, standing 10ft tall above the loch, has been likened to Anthony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ statues in Liverpool, or the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen.

But now there are fears that the statue, removed from the Perthshire beauty spot for its annual clean-up before going into winter storage, will not be returning for the new season amid a deepening row over ownership.

The work by sculptor Rob Mulholland, made of 316 marine-grade polished stainless-steel tiles and officially titled Still, was installed in 2014 after Mr Mulholland was commissioned to create a public artwork by Andrew Low, then owner of the nearby Four Seasons Hotel at St Fillans. But when Mr Low retired and sold the business earlier this year, his offer to include the statue in the sale for an extra £20,000 was declined by the new proprietor Susan Stuart, meaning the Mirror Man had to move on.

Yesterday, Mr Mulholland condemned the decision not to retain the figure, saying: ‘When I made the sculpture it was under the proviso that it was to be there for the public – that was one of the reasons I agreed to make it.

‘It was a joint venture and I made a large contribution to the sculpture and, as a result, I feel that at least partly I retain some rights over what happens to it.

‘People come from far and wide to see the Mirror Man. They seem to have connected with him and I have been quite overwhelmed with the response calling for his return. I’m determined that there will be a positive outcome – even if I have to make another sculpture and gift it to the community.’

A spokesman for the new hotel owners said the statue was offered ‘for an extra £20,000 but the owner thought this money would be better spent on making improvements to the hotel and developing staff in the short-term’.

‘Unfortunately Still does not belong to the hotel, the community or the council. His owner has decided it is time he leave his place watching over the loch and move on.’

Mr Low could not be contacted.