Artists and designers are being invited to express interest in being involved in an exciting opportunity to transform the facade of the Ramada Hotel, Inverness.  This project is part of a dynamic programme of commissions launched in 2008 under the bold new Inverness Old Town Art initiative.

With a project budget of £70,000, this commission provides the opportunity for creative collaboration and the chance to be part of the visual transformation of Inverness city centre.  The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 30th May 2008.

Download a one page summary of the advert or view the details on the Ramada page by following the link through the orange Public Art button on the right.

Click here to download the PDF. 2.4MB

 THURSDAY 6 MARCH AT 6.15PM

The last granite cube has been laid, the lights are about to go in, and the fences will shortly be coming down around Inverness’s newest public artwork – Matt Baker’s Three Virtues. Yes, the clock is counting down towards 6.15pm, Thursday 6th of March when the public are invited to come along and celebrate the opening of this new public space at the top of Church Street (that’s the High Street end).

Don’t be late if you don’t want to miss a moment of the virtuous fun.   For more information click the orange Public Art button on the right.

The Inverness City Centre Streetscape public art project has received welcome new investment with the award of £100,000 from the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Capital Programme. The grant, which is the maximum award available, will assist five additional arts projects and underlines the Scottish Arts Council’s belief that the Inverness Old Town Art programme will be of national significance.

Iain Munro, Co-Director and Head of Lottery, Scottish Arts Council said: “The Inverness Old Town project will build on the success of the earlier project and supports the Scottish Arts Council's priority of increasing opportunities to participate in the arts. This is a unique opportunity for artists and the local community to work together creatively to redevelop an important part of the city, transform the physical environment and generate civic pride.”
Five new projects will be launched to develop close links with local businesses and residents to transform key sites in the old town area of the city including: the Victorian Market; the Ramada Jarvis at the end of Union Street; and Baron Taylor’s Street.

The first project will focus on the Victorian Market. Three new entrance features are planned for Union Street, Church Street and Queensgate, to draw attention to the Market as a landmark in the Old Town boasting its unique collection of independent traders and specialist shops. Professional artists, designers & architects will be invited to register their interest in this design opportunity and will be selected, as part of an open process, which will involve representatives of the Market traders.

A dedicated project manager has been appointed to take the lead. Louise Mor has 10 years experience as a curator, fundraiser and project coordinator, and she is looking forward to the challenge. She said: “I am truly delighted to be given the opportunity to contribute to the public art programme in Inverness. I aim to work with the traders and encourage them to take an active part in the creative process. I’m also looking forward to joining such a talented multi-disciplinary team as Matt Baker, Susan Christie and the artists involved in other projects.”

The new Victorian Market entrances are an integral part of the overall Streetscape project which is bringing public investment of over £6m to regenerate the city centre.

Provost Bob Wynd, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee, said: “The Scottish Arts Council award is very good news. Our city centre is having to adapt to change as all modern, thriving urban centres have to. The additional £100,000 will allow us to do a lot more in terms of the important design features that will set Inverness city centre apart and help us to create a desirable destination that reflects the culture and heritage of the city in the Highlands.”

-Ends-


Background notes:

Louise Mor has over 10 years experience of working as a curator, fundraiser and project manager. Her portfolio encompasses a broad spectrum of work that spans creative industries development, design and more recently public art. She has a special interest in collaborations that engage artists as creative thinkers at the start of a project and is ideally suited for the Victorian Markets project.

From 2000 to 2002 Louise was Design Executive at Glasgow Design, an award winning public design consultancy set up as part of Glasgow UK city of Architecture and Design 1999. She managed a wide range of projects with artists, designers, architects and organisations including, Glasgow School of Art, Scottish Enterprise, the Design Council, the RIAS and Arts & Business.

Most recently Louise held the post of Senior Manager, Public Realm Projects at Beam in Wakefield. At Beam Louise was involved in developing a new programme of multi-disciplinary arts development programme that attracted funding from several national agencies. During 2007 she led on a National Public Conference involving artist, architects and other professionals working in the creative sector.

She has family connections in Fort William and Inverness and hopes to relocate to the Highlands.

Project development - The new Scottish Arts Council funded artistic programme grew out of a dialogue which began with the “Imagining the Centre” event on 9 September 2007 which Matt Baker and members of the Inverness City Partnership team developed. This successful one-off arts event took place over 12 hours on Church Street and local people were invited to join artists & performers in a conversation about what Inverness city centre was, and could be in the future. Memorably, this event involved 14 artists who used giant projections, audio art and performance to bring to the surface the cultural importance of the old town for the city.

The £100,000 Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Capital Programme grant will augment the £250,000 earmarked for public art commissions as part of the overall £6m investment in the Inverness City Centre Streetscape & Traffic Management Programme. Other funding sources are: Scottish Government Cities Growth Fund; The Highland Council; Inverness Common Good Fund; HIE Inverness & East Highland and HITRANS.

Work begins on Sunday (17 February) on a £167k project to light the city of Inverness’s main river crossing.

Ness Bridge is to be fitted with colour changing LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting to reflect on the water and in doing so, will become a striking new addition to city’s nightime scene.

Once work is completed, after dusk, the Ness Bridge will come to life in a dynamic display with endless potential to change the lighting sequence across the full colour palette, and to link the changes to wind speed, or water flow. All controlled by a computer system, lighting can also be programmed to celebrate events or special days in the cultural calendar such as blue and white on St. Andrew’s Day and red and yellow for Chinese New Year.

The project, part of the City Lighting Strategy, illuminatinginverness, is being fully funded through the Inverness City Vision Cities Growth Fund monies for 2006-2008 and compliments the lighting work already in place around Inverness Castle and the environmental improvements of the Streetscape programme.

Provost Bob Wynd, Chairman of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee, said: “One of the most remarkable assets we have in Inverness is the River Ness. Ness Bridge which is rather a standard looking bridge during the day will be transformed into a stunning feature at night. The illuminatinginverness initiative is all about making the city look more attractive and feel safer at night. The work on Ness Bridge will add an additional wow factor to the evening atmosphere, greatly enhancing the visitor experience and promoting civic pride.”

In future years, it is proposed that Friar’s Bridge could get the same treatment and the Greig Street and Infirmary footbridges will be illuminated in blue and white.

To ensure public safety during the installation of the lighting equipment, a single footway over the bridge will be closed from Sunday (17 February) to Sunday 2 March. Either footway may be closed at any one time, but pedestrian access across the Bridge will be maintained at all times. Vehicular access will remain unaffected during all the work.

Implementation of the Inverness city centre streetscape works will progress in south Church Street, from Monday (11 February). In the interests of public safety, the section of Church Street from the end of Baron Taylor’s Street to the junction with Union Street will be closed to vehicular traffic. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and access for emergency vehicles, refuse and delivery vehicles will be controlled by the contractor.

The closure is expected to last up to 8 weeks during which time the street carriageway will be laid with granite sets up to pavement level. Marie Mackintosh, city partnership officer, said: “Completion of this stretch of Church Street should give the old town a real boost as people will be able to see the difference the project has made in creating an attractive and inviting pedestrian access from Bridge Street.”

The construction contractor acknowledges the affect that their operations are having on the nearby businesses, particularly in relation to access for loading and deliveries. Rok’s contract manager David MacDonald said: “It’s a challenge working in these narrow streets while trying to maintain access for pedestrians and traffic. Our priority is to keep everyone safe and to get the job done as quickly as possible so in this area a road closure is unavoidable. We appreciate the cooperation we are receiving from local businesses and residents and will do everything we can to assist them in the coming weeks and months.”

A delay in streetscape works proceeding on Union Street, Queensgate and mid-Church Street due to defects found on properties has allowed works on Fraser Street to start ahead of schedule.

From Monday, 18 February for a period of six-eight weeks, buses and taxis will be excluded from Fraser Street to allow streetscape and water mains works to proceed safely there. Pedestrian access will be maintained.

Marie Mackintosh said: “A number of owners on Union Street, Queensgate and mid-Church Street have already been in contact with The Highland Council to confirm that they are having remedial works done. Colleagues are following up with those we have not heard from in the hope that we can avoid the need to issue formal notices.”