Wick lane artworks will bring 'a little bit of magic' to town centre
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Artworks being installed in Wick lanes within the next two months will bring "a little bit of magic and intrigue" to the town centre, it has been claimed.
Final designs for the Wick Lanes Pocket Places project were revealed at a drop-in event at the Highland Council premises in Market Square on Thursday.
Five new works by local artists Aimee Lockwood and Hannah Cambridge were on display. The designs are inspired by images from the Johnston photographic collection, held by the Wick Society, and other aspects of local history and culture.
Sustrans Scotland, in partnership with Highland Council and the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC), is delivering a "community-led transformation" of some of the lanes leading to High Street. The designs were produced following an event in November at which the two artists hosted interactive workshops.
Sustrans says the final artworks will be crafted from plasma-cut weathering steel, "a robust and long-lasting material that will stand as lasting testament to Wick's rich heritage and long history".
The five designs unveiled at Caithness House on Thursday will be divided between Wares Lane (Back Bridge Street) and the lane beside the Riverhouse bar and kitchen, formerly Wetherspoon's, identified as Market Lane on a map produced by Sustrans. They are due to be installed by the end of March.
Improvements will be made in two other lanes, Tolbooth Lane and John Street, while bin screens will be provided in Wares Lane. The aim here is to "organise the commercial bins more effectively and hide them from view to make the lane more attractive".
The screens are to feature patterns from traditional-style gansey designs by the late Gordon Reid, nuclear archivist at Nucleus and a Wick Society member, who died at the beginning of December.
Robin Burns, project lead, co-design, for Sustrans Scotland, said: “We've focused on materials with longevity and quality and the creation of an art trail of sorts.
"This means we’ve had to lose a couple of elements, like lighting, from this particular installation. But we still have street furniture and art panels that will last for many years to come.
"We have commissioned local artists Aimee Lockwood and Hannah Cambridge and we’re sure you’ll agree that they’ll add a little bit of magic and intrigue to the vicinity of the local High Street.
"The artwork panels are the product of a combination of community consultations, community workshops and workshops with school kids – so we hope that people will be able to see the influence they have had in the steering of ideas within the artworks produced.
"We have additionally included panels which will include designs that are influenced by cultural references taken from Wick's heritage, such as Gordon Reid’s re-creations of historic gansey wool patterns. We have heard he has sadly recently passed away, which makes it more significant.
"We have included select street furniture at well-thought-out locations by a reliable Norwegian brand that is proven in the harsh climate that we see in the north."
RBWCC vice-chairman Allan Bruce welcomed the enhancement of the lanes as a first step towards the wider street design project planned for next year.
“The first stage is to try and rejuvenate our town centre and celebrate the history of Wick, so it has got to be good," he said during Thursday's drop-in session. “Local people have certainly had the opportunity to engage in it.”
Looking ahead to the wider project, Mr Bruce added: “The work for it is fairly advanced now, so we're just waiting for the funding package to come through and then we'll hopefully see a change in our town centre.”
RBWCC chairman Allan Farquhar said: "This is the start of something. We're going to start small and build things up for the whole street design project.
"We're hoping that the two projects mesh together with the ideas that have come from Sustrans and how we can carry it into the works that'll be happening next year."
The initiative to "re-imagine" the Wick lanes is supported by funding from the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s Pocket Places programme. Local people were invited to view ideas that were based on public feedback and co-design/community outreach activity.
The charity says its collaborative design process "puts the people who use the space at the heart of designing solutions to local issues".
It says the aims of the Wick lanes project are to:
- Make the lanes more inviting and appealing places to use
- Support the pedestrianised High Street by maximising the opportunity for everyone to use the lanes
- Strengthen the historic and heritage character of the spaces
Aimee Lockwood and Hannah Cambridge were commissioned to run hands-on workshops for the public and with local schools. Hannah got people to create translucent lanterns featuring local landmarks, while Aimee showed how to make zines (mini-DIY magazines) based on the idea of a “conversation with the past” featuring photographs from the Johnston collection.
