"Angel of the South" is a Big White Horse

[di marco]

A giant white horse has been announced as a new £2 million public art commission in south east England dubbed the "Angel of the South".

The winning design, by former Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, was selected from a three-strong shortlist as part of the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project.

His design will see a horse standing on all four hooves at 33 times life-size.

Once built, the artwork will dominate the north Kent landscape, standing as high as Nelson's Column at around 164ft.

The announcement was made at Swan Valley Community School in Swanscombe in Kent, which overlooks the Springhead Park area where the giant statue will be built.

The sculpture will be seen by up to 60 million people per year and will be more than twice as tall as Antony Gormley's 66ft high Angel Of The North sculpture in Gateshead in 1998.

Wallinger said: "This is a tremendously exciting project. There was some very tough competition and I am honoured that the horse has won through."

The other two shortlisted designs included a steel latticework "nest" by Richard Deacon and a tower of stacked cubes by Daniel Buren.

Project leaders hope the work will act as a symbol for the new Ebbsfleet Valley development and Ebbsfleet International railway station.

The next stage is to start the planning process with the local authority, Gravesham Borough Council, which is expected to last at least 12 months.

[di marco]

heres a pic of what it might look like:

[StarsOfCCTV]

£2 million for a horse. No offence but surely the money could be better spent? :S

[JustJodi]

Not because I am an American or any thing, but even tho it is going to be taller than the Statue of Liberty, I find the idea of a great big white horse a bit "scary" stuck in the middle of a field or near the road..that money would have been better spent on education or something else (like feeding the hungry and homeless )
I did not read but what was the point in a HORSE ???
More to the point where is the moola coming from ( 2 million pounds )

[CrazyLea]

Yeah very scary. Just after my white horse experience too. No way am I going to Kent.

[Siobhan]

Jodi, it is probably better than an big stick we currently have in Dublin City which cost 5 million.. again better to spend it on education or health but who are we as the public of Dublin to say different.. it looks like a giant needle and lovely refer to as the " stiffy by the liffey" or "stiletto in the getto"

[Perdita]

There is the White Horse at Uffington in Oxfordshire (?), down south anyway, not too far from Kent, which is the chalky hill figure. Why have another white horse as "Angel Of The South"??

[JustJodi]

Jodi, it is probably better than an big stick we currently have in Dublin City which cost 5 million.. again better to spend it on education or health but who are we as the public of Dublin to say different.. it looks like a giant needle and lovely refer to as the " stiffy by the liffey" or "stiletto in the getto"

Oh dear, well there are all sorts of objects of ART all over Holland, some of the stuff is just a block of granite dubbed the MAN,, or something ..Kim calls it Artsy Farxsy stuff..but that NEEDLE sounds like a waste of good money.... why does the government seem to throw good money after bad ?? I just do not get it

[JustJodi]

There is the White Horse at Uffington in Oxfordshire (?), down south anyway, not too far from Kent, which is the chalky hill figure. Why have another white horse as "Angel Of The South"??

Per they have not put it there yet,, they are hoping to put it out there before the 2012 olympics,, Guess people living out in that area are going to moan and groan about the endless traffic jams when the horsey is finally in place

[Abbie]

I think it looks silly and scary

I mean I get the whole Angel of the north but seriously and what kasple said about they should spend their money better and thy should i.e more research and development in diseases like cancer