|
After two
years’ continuous carving, latest Barry
Grove sculpture is transported 200 miles
from Tain to The Glenmorangie Company’s
new state-of-the-art bottling plant in
Livingston.
A 20-tonne sculpture – commissioned by
The Glenmorangie Company to stand
outside its new bottling plant in
Livingston as a permanent reminder of
its Highland roots – has been
transported by a low-loader lorry from
Glenmorangie’s distillery in Tain.
Ross-shire-based Barry Grove –
internationally regarded as one of the
finest large stone sculptors working
today – was asked by the company behind
Scotland’s favourite malt whisky to
create a sculpture which explored the
country’s Pictish heritage.
Created over two years using only
traditional hand tools, the sculpture
explores the theme of re-discovery and
depicts blowing leaves revealing a
symbol of Pictish design and intricate
knot-work, the origin of which dates
back to 800AD.
The sculpture was carved from
300-million-year-old sandstone sourced
from the area around Glenmorangie’s Tain
distillery.
The public artwork stands two metres
high and is just over three metres long,
and is two-and-a-half times the size of
his previous re-creation of the Hilton
of Cadboll Stone, an eighth century
Pictish Stone with incredible engravings
which was discovered near the
Glenmorangie Distillery in Ross-shire.
This national icon is on permanent
display at the National Museum of
Scotland in Edinburgh.
Barry Grove said: "I am passionate about
creating pieces of public art that will
last for generations. The sheer size and
scale of this project has presented a
real challenge but I wanted to stay true
to the spirit of the enterprise by using
traditional stonemason’s tools.
"Like Glenmorangie I am fascinated by
our past, and creating this sculpture is
all about rediscovering our connection
with the Picts and Scotland’s early
history. This sculpture brings the past
to life."
Paul Skipworth, President and Managing
Director of The Glenmorangie Company,
said: "For The Glenmorangie Company,
craft and heritage are essential to
creating Scotland’s favourite single
malt. We are very grateful to Barry for
his hard work in creating this
impressive sculpture.
"The Hilton of Cadboll Stone, originally
found near the Glenmorangie Distillery,
is a national treasure from this period
and the inspiration for our company logo
– the Signet – which proudly adorns our
whisky bottles around the world. This
new sculpture will be a notable landmark
at our bottling plant at the Alba Campus
in Livingston, and a permanent reminder
of our Highland roots."
Grove is keeping alive the art of
stonemasonry in Scotland using
traditional tools and techniques. He is
based near Tain in the Highlands, where
many Pictish artefacts have been
discovered and where Glenmorangie’s
iconic single malt has been distilled
since 1843.
|
Keep up to date with
the latest whisky news and special
offers