Helix News & Events

The search for an artist to design the Abbotshaugh woodland sentinel is almost over.

The five short-listed candidates took part in a two-day interview in Falkirk last month (July).

The interviews were conducted by a client panel comprising members of the local community. The panel is chaired by Christian Barnes from Vistaprojects. Christian is the Helix project’s lead artist and agreed the original brief for the artist selection.

Day one of the interview started with a briefing on the Helix project by Grace Macdonald of the Helix Trust and Mark Chapman from design consultants Ironside Farrar.

This was followed by a minibus tour of the whole Helix site and lunch at the Dawson Centre. The group was joined for lunch by the Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer Alex Fergusson - visiting the Falkirk area as part of a community engagement programme during the parliament’s summer recess - and Michael Matheson MSP (Falkirk). Members of the community were also present.

In the afternoon, Alex Russell and Helen Coffey led a walking tour of the area, which included the Abbotshaugh woodland. The day ended with dinner at the Dawson Centre, allowing the artists and community members a further chance to mingle.

Said Christian: “The first day provided a good opportunity for the artists to absorb the thinking of panellists and community members, and for community members to meet and discuss ideas with the artists without having any particular agenda.”

Day two was all about the client panel observing how the artists engaged with members of the public in a series of activity sessions known as charettes.

The panel used a pre-agreed scoring matrix to assess the performance of each artist.

The next step is for the panel to review their scores and recommend which of the five artists should be appointed.

Assessing the selection process to date, Christian was full of praise for the effort and commitment of the client panel.

“I’ve been astonished by the level of diligence and engagement shown,” he said. “Each member has given up hours of their own time and their input has been invaluable.”

Left: The participants in the two-day interview process clearly found the experience a positive one!

Below: Artists and client panel members discuss ideas and concepts.