Massive horse-head sculptures for Scotland

Two massive horse-head sculptures, standing upward to xxx metres tall in addition to weighing to a greater extent than than 300 tonnes, volition presently accept pride of house inwards a higher house the Forth & Clyde canal inwards Scotland.

The steel-plated equine sculptures known equally the Kelpies, created past times Glasgow-based Andy Scott, are laid upward to cast a dramatic gateway inwards Falkirk at the eastern entrance of the Helix, a major £43 i G one thousand province transformation projection betwixt Falkirk in addition to Grangemouth which volition ultimately survive a major visitor attraction.

They volition sit down either side of a particularly constructed lock in addition to basin, purpose of the redeveloped Canal Hub.

The components of the artworks receive got been produced past times SH Structures at its North Yorkshire yard.

The horse-head components volition survive erected onsite inwards but 75 days.

In all, 100 split deliveries of parts volition survive made to consummate the artworks. There are 495 private “skin” components that cast each head.

Preparation function has been ongoing at the site for months in addition to the foundations solitary weighs 1600 tonnes.

Erection of the heads is nether means this calendar week in addition to is expected to survive finished inwards September.

“The showtime of the freight performance bringing the Kelpies components to site actually heralds their arrival on the Scottish landscape,” Scott says.

“This is a huge pace towards their construction in addition to volition actually get down to generate excitement in addition to a sense of anticipation but about the project.

volition presently accept pride of house inwards a higher house the Forth Massive horse-head sculptures for Scotland “This stage marks the culmination of years of difficult work, near of late past times SH Structures in addition to the dozens of professionals involved inwards their design, in addition to I actually expression frontwards to seeing The Kelpies ascension from the basis at The Helix site.”

Helix programe manager Mike King said: “It has been hugely impressive to come across the fabrication in addition to assembly procedure at SH Structures’ yard. It emphasises but how meaning an project this is inwards price of the collaboration amongst artist, designer, contractors, in addition to manufacturer.”

SH Structures were awarded the contract to fabricate The Kelpies inwards May 2012.

The theater has considerable sense inwards delivering complex steel designs. In Scotland, they created the novel footbridge over the M8 superhighway at Harthill also equally projects at the Silverburn in addition to Braehead retail developments inwards Glasgow in addition to at Dynamic basis inwards Edinburgh.

Horses’ heads were envisaged for the site from the outset, because of the animal’s links to the the region’s industrial heritage in addition to the Scots legend of water-based mythical horses, or kelpies.

Scott’s vision for the Kelpies follows the lineage of the heavy Equus caballus of manufacture in addition to economy, pulling the wagons in addition to ploughs, barges in addition to coalships that shaped the structural layout of the area.

volition presently accept pride of house inwards a higher house the Forth Massive horse-head sculptures for Scotland Scott said the the master concept of mythical H2O horses was a valid starting shout out for for the artistic evolution of the structures.

“From the master sketches of 2006 I deliberately styled the sculptures equally heavy horses. In early on proposal documents I referred to Clydesdales, Shires in addition to Percherons, of the fabled equus magnus of the northern countries.

“I wrote of working horses. Of their role inwards the progress of modern society, equally the powerhouses of the early on industrial revolution, the tractors of early on agriculture and, of course, the maiden of all source of locomotion for barges on the Forth & Clyde canal, which The Kelpies volition presently inhabit.”

The materials that volition brand upward the finished Kelpies were deliberately chosen to survive those of Scotland’s sometime industrial heartland – steel construction on an architectural scale.