Four new works of art have been installed in Lerwick and are soon to be joined by two brand new murals. The aim is to create an art trail around the town centre, a walking tour with a difference. The works are all explorations of Shetland's collective sense of place and how it forms an integral part of our island identity. You can find a downloadable map and audio guide via the Living Lerwick website or via Shetland Arts.
Funded by the Scottish Government’s Town Centre’s fund through Shetland Islands Council, the first phase of LOCUS - Lerwick’s new public art trail - has now been installed at sites across the town centre. Delivered by Living Lerwick in partnership with Shetland Arts, the four new sculptures will be followed by two murals, set to be painted in late July and mid-August 2021.
Work on LOCUS started in December 2019, involving residents, community organisations and businesses from across the town, focusing on three key themes: Where we are / Where we’re going / Where we’ve come from. After an open call and selection process the four commissions for Stage 1 in the project were awarded. Through additional support from the Scottish Government's Town Centre Fund two new murals have been commissioned for the town centre of Lerwick. Four mural designs were created and a public vote determined the winning two. These will be painted by Cobolt Collective and Gavin Renshaw.
David Lemm’s Stakamillabakka, Kenny Hunter’s As Above so Below, Joe Ingleby’s Storm Cargo and Civic Soup’s The Never-Ending Gansey form the first stops in the new trail. The four sculptures have all been made with local industry partners - Garriocks, LEF and Malakoff. All the sculptures have been fabricated in Shetland, apart from the bronze section of Kenny Hunter’s work as there is no bronze foundry in Shetland.
Steve Mathieson, Chair of Living Lerwick, said “It’s great that the idea of a contemporary art trail for Lerwick has finally come to fruition and thanks must go to Shetland Islands Council for providing us with the funding through the Town Centre Grant Fund, and to Jane Matthews at Shetland Arts for showing great perseverance through these difficult times as Project Manager. We’re very happy that so many local companies have been involved in the actual making of the sculptures and bringing to life the work of the artists and we hope that the trail will bring some additional colour and interest to the town centre for locals and visitors alike.”
Graeme Howell, CEO of Shetland Arts said “This has been a great partnership project, from working with Living Lerwick on the locations and commissioning, to the work done by the highly skilled local fabricators with the artists to produce these great additions to Lerwick's streets and lanes.”
A LOCUS map and guide, designed by Chloe Keppie, is available at Mareel, Visit Scotland’s iCentre, and other venues across the town. A plain text and PDF version of the map and guide can be found at shetlandarts.org/locus and livinglerwick.co.uk/locus. An audio guide is also available for the trail, available to listen to at both web addresses. You can also search for ‘Locus Lerwick’ on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or visit anchor.fm/shetland-arts.
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