A MORAY SCULPTOR is making her mark along the banks of the River Ness after being commissioned for a major Arts project by Highland Council.
Dufftown sculptor Mary Bourne was tasked by the Inverness City Art Group to work on their ‘River Connections’ project, an initiative to enhance the new riverside streetscape in the Highland capital as part of their flood alleviation scheme.
Ms Bourne began work this week on a series of designs she created, carving verses written by Edinburgh poet Ken Cockburn to the coping stones of walls along the river bank. The artwork features 10 animals carved from stainless steel that are being mounted alongside outlines of popular lochs on the River Ness catchment area.
Ms Bourne’s artwork is being placed on the Huntly Street side of the river while the poetry about the geography of the river and those who were reliant on it being placed on the Bank Street side.
Ms Bourne said: “The art focuses on the river and its importance to Inverness – it has been such a fascinating project for me, talking to all those different people and finding out about all the different aspects of the river.”
The £60,000 commission is the first part of a £750,000 River Ness public arts project, funded by the City of Inverness common good fund, Creative Scotland, Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The Moray artist is one of six commissioned to produce work along the river as part of the scheme.
Mary Bourne has undertaken commissioned work throughout the UK including for the Eden Court Theatre, Scottish Poetry Library, the River Eden footpath in East Cumbria, Livingston Development Corporation and the Central Library in Dundee.