To the Editor, ArtWork

Write to ArtWork, PO Box 3 Ellon AB41 or e-mail artwork@famedram.com

Sir,
I was astounded by the fierce attack by John Di Folco on the doughty denizens of Dysart, as he termed us, in the last issue of ArtWork and feel the need to point out a number of inaccuracies contained in the piece.

Public Art must by necessity be owned by the public and not just by the clever artist who formulates the idea and carries it out. Indeed the previous public art of the Dysart Sea-Beams, the Frances Colliery Memorial and the mural on the side of the Rocket Park, have been embraced and welcomed by the majority of the people of Dysart including myself.

In contrast, the main objection to the Crate Wall of Dysart (an apt description of the build quality of the structure by the way) was not one of half a dozen nimbys being against it as your article alleged, but rather the lack of proper public consultation before it was installed.

The very size of the artworks (about five times longer than the height of the imposing Sea-Beams) came as a nasty shock to every last resident of Dysart who saw it on its appearance out of the blue. The wall was also glaringly white and not neutral as you said. The structure, which was 153 feet long and with a volume of approximately 2080 cubic feet, certainly did block part of a beautiful view across to the Bass Rock and Berwick Law. For me it was a prominent eyesore when viewed from below on a beach that I almost daily walk along whilst taking wildlife and geological photographs.

Its final form came as a surprise to 100% of the people of Dysart, because the most recent pre-construction document that had been made available described an unassuming small structure to be installed on the site. Unlike the case of all prior Dysart public art, our very active local MSP Marilyn Livingston, the Dysart Regeneration people, the Dysart Trust and the local populace were given no chance to make constructive comments about the structure.

Unfortunately the follow-up stage of the normal consultation process also appeared to have slipped through the cracks (the council planners' words not mine). With regard to the public consultation meeting, the insertion of leaflets in a local free paper inviting residents to a consultation was a flawed medium of communication.

On health and safety grounds, the structure (which was a wooden construction with large holes underneath) was both a major fire risk and a magnet for BMX-bike numpties who had already ridden along its length just above a cliff-top plunge.

I contend that someone who finds a particular piece of public art inappropriate to its setting is not necessarily a philistine. In fact I saw your article when I was in Kirkcaldy Museum, which is not comparable with my beloved Musee D'Orsay, the Tate Modern, or the Burrell, but is the nearest art collection to where I now live. I suppose that I shouldn't really mind being branded as a philistine, because that vanished people received a bad press from Jewish chroniclers.

Now please can you tell me when and where I can pick up the Philistines' Oscar that you mentioned, as I will be delighted to accept this on behalf of fellow Dysart nimbys?

GLYN EDNIE

Editor's note: there were a number of e-mails and messages responding to John Di Folco's piece. The subject was widely aired in the local press and in view of this and the time elapsed since publication we print this representative letter, which has been edited for reasons of space.