These Horse Head Sculptures will be the landmark feature of The Helix Environmental Regeneration Scheme on the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk on Central Scotland. They are the brain-child of sculptor Andy Scott, and will be the largest public artworks in Scotland. Horse Head Sculptures named “Kelpies” are one of the largest equine sculptures in the world, standing 30 metres (100 feet) tall. Scott spent a total of nine years designing and then assembling the sculptures on-site, crafting steel parts into intricate busts that allude to the legendary Scottish water spirit that takes the form of a horse. For Scott, the project’s location in his father’s hometown of Falkirk, the cultural tale of kelpies, and Scotland’s industrial past compelled him to take on the project as a source of national pride. “The artistic intent is built around a contemporary sculptural monument. Water-borne, towering gateways into The Helix, the Forth & Clyde canal and Scotland, translating the legacy of the area into proud equine guardians,” he says.
