The artist behind the Dundee Waterfront whale sculpture has been awarded a £100k contract to create artwork for the Broughty Ferry active travel project.
London-based artist Lee Simmons has been commissioned by Dundee City Council to create a ‘bespoke landmark sculpture’ at the Ferry end of the cycle route to Monifieth.
Simmons previously designed the 60ft whale sculpture located at Dundee Waterfront, which arrived in the city in October 2021.
The latest artwork has been commissioned to help assist with “placemaking” on the cycle route and “will encourage walking, cycling, wheeling”.
An advertisement was listed on public procurement website Public Contracts Scotland earlier this year inviting “suitable experienced artists” to submit their proposals.
Two sculptures are planned for either end of the cycle route, with Dundee City Council allocating a budget of £100k per statue.
The second sculpture, the local authority says, will be designed in-house.
The Broughty Ferry Esplanade is undergoing a major revamp as part of a wider multi-million pound active travel plan.
Once fully completed, it will provide a continuous off-road path between Dundee and Monifieth along Scotland’s main east coast cycling route.
However in February it was revealed the cost of the project as a whole has spiralled from £9m to an eye-watering £18m, partly due to soaring construction costs.
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “Following the tender process started earlier this year, the council awarded the contract for bespoke landmark sculptures at Broughty Ferry and Monifieth to Lee Simmons at a value of £100,000.
“While the active travel route serves a very real, practical purpose that is no reason why it should be purely functional.
“Public art created specifically for its location adds to the environment and helps to develop a sense of place.
“It was a condition of receiving the funding for the project that in addition to improvements for active travel, it should also help with placemaking.
“A budget for public art was approved by Sustrans as part of its funding allowance.”
Conversation