Artist says project funding is rigged

SHE was famously paid £15,000 of public money to do what many members of the public do for free – live in the city of Glasgow for a year.

Now Ellie Harrison has admitted she led on Scotland’s leading public arts body, Creative Scotland, to part with the funding so that she could perform a 12-month street-level artistic study of life in the country’s biggest city.

She infuriated Glaswegians by using a picture of greasy chips to illustrate her research on Facebook, seen as poking fun at the city’s reputation for an unhealthy lifestyle.

Naturally, critics were quick to condemn the arrangement, calling it a “poverty safari” as many ordinary Glaswegians have no choice but to live within the city boundaries.

Last night, however, the English-born artist appeared to undermine the whole basis of her “study” by admitting “leading on” Creative Scotland in her original application for funding. She said the funding scheme was “rigged” in her favour.

It was also revealed that Ms Harrison continued to receive pension contributions from her public-sector employer during her 12 months’ “confinement”.

Duncan of Jordanstone College, part of Dundee University, confirmed that they were obliged to make monthly payments to Ms Harrison’s pension pot as she had only taken “unpaid leave” from her post as lecturer in contemporary art practices.

Speaking on the BBC Radio Scotland Stephen Jardine Programme, she said of Creative Scotland: “You know, I did lead them on slightly. It was the way I framed it to Creative Scotland so I could get the money.

“I called the project ‘Think Global; Act Local” which is a phrase borrowed from Patrick Geddes, a famous Glasgow thinker. It was a benign-sounding name but it enabled me to get the funds. But I knew all along I was going to change the name.”

Ms Harrison, 37, whose family are in London and Norwich, admitted the system of public grants, like those offered by Creative Scotland, was “rigged” to benefit “privileged” people like her.

A spokesman for Creative Scotland said they “look forward” to hearing about the project’s outcome.