The 1:10 scale moquettes of The Kelpies, one of which sees its breath on a crisp October's afternoon (JWB, 2012) |
I’m
surprised no one has made a fuss about this . . . but let this serve as a
warning. For on the north lawn of the
Field Museum, beneath the bluff on which the Shedd Aquarium sits, there are two
creatures that have for hundreds and hundreds of years lured little children to
take a ride on their backs, only to carry the poor little darlings to a death
by drowning.
Scottish sculptor Andy Scott's Kelpies will be here through August 13, 2013 (JWB, 2012) |
The Kelpies
have come to Chicago. Keep your
distance.
For over a
thousand years, these equestrian monsters have roamed the lochs and waterways
of Scotland. Legend has it that if a
person touches the silvery skin of a Kepie, he or she will stick to it and be
carried into the nearest river or lake.
Not hard to
see why the Kepies have come to Chicago.
There is plenty of water around here.
Notice the human figure at the base of the horse's head--an approximation of the height of normal human in relation to the height of the eventual ten-story Kelpies outside of Glasgow (JWB, 2012) |
The Kepies
on the grassy sward of the Field Museum are actually maquettes, 1:10 scale models
that Scottish sculptor Andy Scott designed.
The sculptures on which the models are based will, when finished, reach
the height of a ten-story building and sit on a 740-acre park, known as the
Helix project, being created around a canal link in Scotland that will connect
the Firth of Forth with the Clyde in Glasgow. You can read about the amazing Helix project
here.
The Kelpies
image up just one part of a monumental undertaking on the part of Chicago
Sculpture International. Its “Activate
Chicago with Sculpture 2012” is made up of four interrelated shows, the longest
of which will run through the summer of 2013.
They look innocent enough, but don't get too close . . . (JWB, 2012) |
“The
Installation Experiment” opened on September 9 and consists of seven
installation works in the Chicago Arts District in Pilsen. The second show, “Form in Flora II,” will
conclude on November 3. It is made up of
sculpture that can be found within the Lincoln Park Conservatory Building. “Six to the Third” is a show that only has a
week left. Located at the Lillstreet
Gallery on North Ravenswood, the show is made up of
small-scale sculptures no higher than six inches.
The Kelpies
are part of the Chicago Parks District-Chicago Sculpture International Outdoor
Exhibition that will run through August of 2013. This show presents 54 large scale public
outdoor works that run along the lakefront from Belmont Harbor to the Field Museum
and along Stockton Drive from Fullerton Avenue to North Avenue.
JWB,2012 |
The Kelpies,
when installed at the Helix Project, will be stainless steel plated and will
stand 30 meters tall. SH Structure has
been selected to fabricate the giant heads, which are to be completed by the
end of 2013. Inside one of the horse’s
heads will be a “visitor attraction,” designed by Nicoll Russell Studios. According to the architects, “The visitor
experience centers on the ‘mystical legends of the Kelpie’ and a vertical
journey of exploration within one of the horse’s heads which culminates at a
high level platform where Art and Engineering combine to create a highlight to
the visitor experience.’”
The Kelpies,
when finished, must necessarily be huge because they will be vying for
attention with the world’s largest boat lift, the Falkirk Wheel, itself a
sculptural piece of engineering that is a visual stunner.
Look upon my works, Ye Mighty, and despair . . . (JWB, 2012) |
Although
Chicago’s Kelpies are less intimidating than the ten-story mythical monsters
that will eventually roam the fen outside Glasgow, they are still darned
eye-catching. Just don’t get too
close. The lake is only 200 yards away,
and they can have you at the bottom of it before you can get your ChaCha
application to tell you what’s going on.
4 comments:
welcome back!! Cool pics! I love the sculptures and I'm not normally a sculpture fan (especially the torsos a few blocks from the kelpies).
The Kelpies are currently in construction at SH Structures in Yorkshire. The Kelpies will begin installation on the Helix site in January 2013, growing out of the ground in sections.
Here is a link to a movie about the fabrication. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7LztQbj8us&feature=player_embedded#!
Nice images of the Kelpies. Thanks for sharing these.
Amazing! pics i really like it very much.
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