Buckie Gateway Feature Competition
Moray Council secured a financial contribution of £25,000 from the Tesco development in Buckie towards a Gateway Feature. The artwork will be located on the grassed area; off the Tesco roundabout, at the corner of High Street, A942 and Fairway Road on entering Buckie along the A98 as identified on the map below.
A competition was launched in February 2019 to invite UK based artists to create a gateway feature which will mark the entrance to Buckie by capturing the heritage of the town.
The submissions were shortlisted in April 2019 and the maquettes prepared by the 3 shortlisted Artists are displayed in the Buckie Tesco store until Saturday, 13 July for the public to comment on. Online comments are also accepted and can be made on this page. The Shortlisting Panel will take account of the public comments when making the final decision at the end of July.
Please comment here on 1 or more of the concepts by 5pm on Saturday, 13 July 2019. Alternatively, you can leave your comments in the Buckie Tesco store, where the maquettes are displayed.
Carn Standing - Buckie's Darling
Artist's caption:
“I reflected on the meaning of the name Buckie and where it is said to have originated, from the Gaelic word for buck / male deer. I was also inspired by how Buckie grew as a town and a community and the importance of fishing.
I started to see the herring within the body of the deer as a composition to unify the two things, and a symbolism for the uniting of the several villages which led to the Buckie we know today.
The silver darlings merged into the body of the deer would be arranged as a turning shoal of fish to maximise the movement of the sculpture, to bring it alive.
The supporting structure in the shape of a wave represents the sea and Buckie's coastal location. It adds to the forward motion of the piece and gives an energy which is replicated in the leaping deer and the swimming shoal.
I’ve depicted the navigational Dog Star on the hoof of the deer in homage to Nehalennia, the mythical Scottish Goddess who was the patron saint of sea traders and offered protection on the water, another symbolic link to local mariners past and present.
The 3-D sculpture will be made from stainless steel bar, sheet and tubing, its silver appearance ideal for the shoal of silver darlings.
The entire sculpture would be made by hand by me, the artist, from my local studio 12 miles along the coast in Portsoy.”
Emma Crawford - Fishing for Flowers
Artist's caption:
“This artwork has been inspired by the rich fishing heritage of Buckie, along with the history behind the town’s nickname, ‘Little Norway’.
As the town is renowned for its successful Shellfish Industry, and food processing remains important, it seems fitting to represent this in the form of creels. These will create the main metal structure of the design.
Intertwined within Buckie’s ancestry, comes the story of how the town grew and expanded. In the 1940s, the town was transformed into ‘Little Norway’, as hundreds of men, women and children moved across from Norway and Denmark during the war. The floral details within the design will be made out of metal and are inspired by the National flowers of Scotland, Norway and Denmark; thistles, purple heather and marguerite daisies. These reflect the growing community and offer a welcoming entrance to both visitors and locals.
The artwork is designed to engage old, current and new residents, providing a bright and homely entrance. “
Maggie Clyde - Buckie in Steel
Artist's caption:
“My proposal for the new Buckie Gateway feature is an installation of five freestanding stainless steel panels. The panels will be designed with bespoke artwork to be laser-cut from 8x4 foot steel sheets and then powder coated in different attractive colours, as shown in the artist`s impression. Steel was selected for its hard wearing properties against the weather. Each panel will represent key cultural and historical aspects of Buckie's past, present and future including Doric text, fishing, shipbuilding, lifeboats, football, and the origins of Buckie.
The panels will be installed in a road-facing, circular-grouping with a pebble base. Walking amongst the panels over these pebbles, people will be reminded of the close connection that Buckie and its people have with the sea. This additional landscaping will define the artwork area, separating it from the surrounding grass and keeping maintenance to a minimum. Viewers will be able to walk around the panels, engaging with the artwork in a friendly, close up manner. This roadside site will also be visible from a distance, presenting an eye catching and intriguing landmark feature for visitors and locals alike to enjoy.
The final designs will incorporate ideas and themes identified through community engagement via informal discussions and formal community art workshop led by the artist. The artist's impression conveys the key components of the proposed artwork including colour, simplified shape and scale, rather than a finished representation.
Buckie in Steel will convey the indomitable spirit of the Buckie community far into the 21st Century.”