Scale Version of the World's Largest Equine Sculptures - The Kelpies - to Be Showcased in New York's Bryant Park
(PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- One of the world’s highest profile public spaces is to showcase a major new arts project which is set to transform Scotland’s tourism map. Bryant Park in New York City, will welcome two 15 ft tall scale models of Glasgow-born artist Andy Scott’s ‘The Kelpies’ sculptures from March 19th to April 22nd next year.
The Kelpies - two 100ft steel horses heads which are the largest equine sculptures in the world - are the centre piece of the £43 million Helix land transformational project between Falkirk and Grangemouth in central Scotland and are expected to attract an additional 350,000 visitors a year to Falkirk – a town just 30 minutes’ drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh.
They will also boost the central Scotland economy by around £1.5 million per annum and provide the area with its second ‘top ten’ UK tourist attraction.
The Helix will transform under-used land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a thriving urban green space. Once complete, it will be an outdoor recreational area open to all, offering easy access to picturesque woodland, a central park with a lagoon, linked walking paths and cycleways.
Thanks to terrific support from The City of New York Parks and Recreation, Bryant Park Corporation, and the American-Scottish Foundation®, the scale models (known as the Maquettes) will be seen by more than 250,000 people a day during the period they are on display next spring.
In addition, a program of lunchtime concerts is being planned around the sculptures on Bryant Park's Fountain Terrace as part of next year’s celebration of Scottish arts and culture in the heart of Manhattan.
Andy Scott, the Scottish sculptor who created The Kelpies, said:
“The Kelpies pay homage to Scotland’s heavy horses which played a vital role in agriculture and industry in Scotland. They exemplify the best of creativity, engineering and project management and are soon to be the largest public artworks in the country, and the largest equine sculptures in the world – they have been almost eight years in the making.
“It is a huge privilege to be invited to display the Maquettes at Bryant Park, and I am confident they will help to put Scotland, and the Helix project, firmly on the map – not only for resident New Yorkers, but for international visitors to the city.”
The Maquettes have previously been showcased in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, as well as Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh.
Dan Biederman, President of Bryant Park Corporation, said:
“It is a great pleasure to work with the American Scottish Foundation and Scotland to host these sculptures and the ‘Tartan Week’ performances in Bryant Park. The park is one of the busiest public spaces in the world and a perfect location for showcasing arts and culture.”
The Helix development is being driven by a partnership of Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals and the construction phase for the 100 ft. tall Kelpies was completed in November 2013. Work on the site’s visitor and parking facilities is currently underway and the development will officially open to the public in the summer of 2014.
A spokesman for The Helix team said the unique agreement with the Bryant Park Corporation was a major development for The Kelpies and for Scotland.
He said: “New York City is said by many to be the cultural capital of the world, and so this unique opportunity to position The Kelpies as an International sculptural landmark and visitor destination represents fantastic recognition for the project, raising awareness of the beneficial impact it will have on the local area and on the whole of Scotland.
“It is a huge gesture of approval for The Kelpies to be chosen for this venue and a true accolade for the sculptures and The Helix. I hope that some of the thousands of people who see these sculptures on display in Bryant Park will take time in the future to visit The Helix if they come to Scotland.
“Bryant Park is within a few blocks of Times Square, the Empire State building and the New York City Library, and has a daily footfall in excess of 30,000 people per day and over 200,000 people pass by the park each day.”
The Maquettes have previously been showcased in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, as well as Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh.
The Kelpies’ arrival in Bryant Park is a partnership between the Helix Project, The City of New York Parks and Recreation, Bryant Park Corporation, and the American-Scottish Foundation.
Bryant Park is a 9,603 acre public park, privately managed by the non-profit Bryant Park Corporation, located in the New York borough of Manhattan. It is located between 5th and 6th Avenue and between 40th and 42nd streets in mid-town Manhattan.
MEDIA CONTACTS :
For the Helix, Andy Scott and The Kelpies:
Charles Mann, Associate Director, 3x1
Tel. +00 44 141 221 0707 or +00 44 7825 153 599.
E-mail: cmann(at)3x1(dot)com
Nicola Macnaughton, Account Manager, 3x1
Tel. +00 44 141 221 0707 or +00 44 7725 638 246.
E-mail: nmacnaughton(at)3x1(dot)com
For the American-Scottish Foundation:
Camilla Hellman, Executive Director
Tel: 212 605 0338 x 4
Email: asfevents(at)wwbcny(dot)com
NOTES TO EDITORS :
THE HELIX: The Helix is a £43 million land transformation project being driven by a partnership of Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals. It will transform under-used land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a thriving urban green space. Once complete, the Helix will be an outdoor recreational area open to all, offering easy access to picturesque woodland, a central park with a lagoon, linked walking paths and cycleways. The Helix will also open up Scotland's canal network by installing a new full-length canal link and a canal hub featuring the Kelpies http://www.thehelix.co.uk/
ANDY SCOTT: Andy Scott is a world renowned Scottish figurative sculptor, specialising in public artworks. He graduated from Glasgow School of Art with a BA Hons in Fine Art Sculpture in 1986. In addition to The Kelpies, his portfolio now extends to over 70 projects across the UK and internationally including several monumental landmark sculptures. A selection of his portfolio can be seen at http://www.scottsculptures.co.uk/
FALKIRK COUNCIL: Falkirk Council is a unitary authority which provides all local government services for the Falkirk Council area. Covering 112 square miles, it has a population of 151,570 and extends from Banknock in the west of the region to Blackness in the east and from South Alloa in the North as far as Limerigg in the south. The area contains varied countryside, including areas of considerable landscape quality. It also contains the port of Grangemouth and depends for its prosperity on a broad industrial base which includes sizeable industrial areas in Falkirk and Grangemouth http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/
SCOTTISH CANALS: Scottish Canals is the public body responsible for looking after all of Scotland’s canals. It conserves the waterways as part of Scotland’s heritage, ensuring they play a vital role in the way the country operates. The environment and heritage of the canal network is integral to the work of Scottish Canals, and the organisation ensures the canals are managed in such a way to ensure maximum enjoyment for all http://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/
THE AMERICAN-SCOTTISH FOUNDATION®: The American-Scottish Foundation is an international not-for- profit organization. Its aim is to establish links and strengthen ties between Scotland and the United States, through the pursuit of contemporary social, cultural, educational, and business activities http://www.americanscottishfoundation.com/
BRYANT PARK CORPORATION: Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park, one of the busiest public spaces in the world, without government or philanthropic funding. In addition to providing security and sanitation services, and tending the lawn and seasonal gardens, BPC creates amenities and activities in Bryant Park for over 5 million visitors each year. BPC’s website http://www.bryantpark.org/ has more detailed information plus a complete schedule of the upcoming wide range of free events.
THE NEW YORK TARTAN DAY PARADE: The New York Tartan Day Parade will take place on SaturdayApril 5th, stepping off at 44th and Sixth Avenue, two blocks north of Bryant Park and The Kelpies.
In 1998 the U.S. Senate declared April 6 to be National Tartan Day to recognize the contributions made by Scottish-Americans to the United States. In 1999, two pipe bands and a small but enthusiastic group of Scottish Americans marched from the British Consulate to the UN—our first Parade! Since then, it has grown to include hundreds of pipers, thousands of marchers and many more thousands cheering from the sidelines.
Website for Parade details: http://nyctartanweek.org/tartan-day/
Further historical information of National Tartan Day is available at http://www.tartanday.org/history
Camilla Hellman, (212) 605-0338 x 4, [email protected]
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