An artist poised to transform an Aberdeen statue into a space-aged warrior hopes her efforts will inspire a new round of debate into Scotland’s future ahead of the general election.
Internationally-acclaimed artist Helen Schell will go to work on the Wallace Statue, on the city’s Rosemount Viaduct, as part of north-east arts festival Look Again.
The statue is one of six of the city’s best-loved monuments undergoing a makeover as part of the festival taking place between April 8-12.
A supporting workshop, being held in His Majesty’s Theatre, will encourage participants to question their vision for a future Scotland.
The Dress Smart session will give participants the opportunity to design futuristic costumes for Scottish heroes and heroines.
Among the heroines will be Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The Sunderland-based artist, said: “Wallace is very relevant right now.
“I wanted the statue to really capture the energy and new vision for politics that the independence debate sparked.
“With the general election just around the corner, I’m hoping the statue will encourage people to share their thoughts on what sort of Scotland they’d like to see in the future.
“Even though I’m English, I was delighted to see Nicola Sturgeon become the leader of the SNP.
“I think having a female leader with much more influence over the whole of the UK can only be a good thing.
“It will help shake things up and that’s why I’ve included her as one of the heroines in the family workshop.”
Other monuments undergoing a transformation include Robert Burns, in Union Terrace, who will be dressed in bright knitted socks and 3D printed headphones; Robert the Bruce in Broad Street, who will be covered in ceramic pigeons; and The Mannie, in Castlegate, who will be turned into a chatty Aberdonian.
The Look Again festival is a celebration of visual art and design that aims to challenge the way we see the Granite City.
Visit www.lookagainfestival.co.uk for more details.