14 DAY TRIAL // Scotland decided to boost local economy and tourist flow with 2 gigantic horse head statues measuring 100 feet and weighing 600 tons, called The Kelpies.
The statues, designed by artist Andy Scott, are part of a $70 (€51.6) million redevelopment project and stand above the entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal at Falkirk. The project, called Helix, is based on the redevelopment of 350 hectares of land by boosting the traditional industry.
The Kelpies have a historical meaning, being inspired by the working horses of Scotland that helped build the famous canal. The artist who built the statues spent eight years working on sketches, “I have always been fascinated with horses and the heavy horse was at one time the driving force in industry until after the industrial revolution,” Scott told Scottish Express.
Andy was inspired and modeled the statue after two real Clydesdales horses, called Duke and Baron, and “to see them completed is both humbling and fantastic.” The Kelpies have already attracted the attention of people from all over the world and made the Helix project visible on the international agenda.
Kelpies are magical, shape-shifting horses from the Celtic folklore that inhabited rivers, streams and lochs, and now play the part of welcoming visitors in the region. “Experts are predicting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The Kelpies will be a key part of that attraction and look absolutely stunning,” Adrian Mahoney, Falkirk councilor told Scottish Express.
The two structures are built from traditional Scottish industry materials and will be illuminated inside and out to create a spectacle at night. The official opening of the statues will take part in April 2014. The landmark is very imposing and represents a new beginning for the Scottish industry, as well as a tribute to history.
