Soutar Sculpture

A K Bell Library,
York Place,
Perth PH2 8EP
t: +44 (0)1738 477062
e:Local Studies

The Soutar House,
27 Wilson Street,
Perth PH2 0EX
t: +44 (0)1738 643687

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Public Art

Nae Day Sae Dark

This grew in the making. It was one of the first pieces of sculpture I made in the public domain and has been one of my most popular pieces, perhaps because it has both simplicity of composition and drama. Researching the sculpture introduced me to the work of William Soutar and made me think about working with living poets. Poetry adds a fourth dimension to sculpture and makes people linger longer with the work and get more from it. The figure wearing a blindfold could be a metaphor for darkness as mentioned in the poem. The other figure has that 'glint' of happier times but, as with most art, some mystery should remain.

This sculptural composition answers the demanding criteria of public art, combining heavy engineering, street furniture, local history, poetry, even irony and despair. As a composition it is as tight as the poem itself and equally accessible, important factors in both poem’s and sculpture’s philosophies.

David Annand

Golden Eye

The actual title of this piece of sculpture was The Dark and Singing Tide which is taken from another of William Soutar’s poems, The River. I have tried to 'extract' a cubic metre of water from the River Tay and in it a swimming Goldeneye searching for molluscs. This sculpture tries to create an underwater scene that emphasises three-dimensionality. The Tay is the most powerful river in Britain with more water flowing through Perth than the Thames and Severn combined. Sometimes it is as shallow as the sculpture. At high tide, in spate, it can rise to flood the streets - and would do, were it not for the defence systems installed to protect the town.

David Annand