12-foot tall giant heads sculpture set for Edinburgh's new St James Quarter

A 12-foot tall sculpture of giant heads that pays tribute to two Scottish artists could be the focal point at the entrance to the city’s new St James Quarter retail and leisure complex if local authority planners give it the go ahead.

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The David Harber-designed sculpture, entitled On the Shoulders of Giants, is based on the profiles of textile designer Bernat Kleint and painter and sculptor Cecile Walton and will be situated at the base of the St James Square development’s prominent ribbon design.

Nuveen Real Estate is now awaiting permission to create the sculpture after it lodged the application for it to be sited on land adjacent to 23 to 26 St James Square with City of Edinburgh Council.

If granted planning permission the sculpture will be located at the entrance to the St James Quarter complex for shoppers' viewing pleasure.

Details of the sculpture itself were included in a design statement with the planning information.

It stated: “While the sculpture has a practical purpose – to separate the public from the “ribbon” on the hotel – the piece has been devised as a prominent long-term piece of public art.

"From the outset we were keen to make the piece dynamic, and something the public could engage visually with. Given this is a major access point, we wanted to develop a sculpture that offered a distinct experience depending whether you were walking up or walking down the steps.

“It was important that the sculpture communicated and connected to the aspirations to a younger generation of Scottish people, and how social and creative change and development over the last century has, and is helping to shape the future.

“The idea of using heads or face profiles was explored early on. It was decided that the form of a young man’s and woman’s head should be included in the sculpture, making a link to the current generation. Additionally, and after discussion and agreement with the client, two relevant individuals from past generations were finally selected.

"These were the fashion textile designer Bernat Kleint, who spent much of his working life in Scotland, and Cecile Walton, the artist, illustrator, and sculptor, and member of the Edinburgh Group who worked in the early 20th Century.

"We developed head profiles for all four figures. Each of these will be made up from a series of laser cut uprights, which when viewed as a whole, work to create an overall head profile.

"When walking up the steps, the younger man and woman become visible, with their heads held high, looking forward to a bright future. As you walk down the steps, the forms of Bernat Klein and

“Cecile Walton become visible, making a reference to past achievements, thinking and contributions. Both views, whether looking up or down the steps are, however, inextricably linked.”

St James Quarter’s 850,000 square foot galleria retail shopping centre, which opened in June last year, was built on the site of the St James Centre, which closed in October 2016.

W Hotels plan to have a new hotel in the centre of the development, with the structure itself featuring a unique “ribbon” design.

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