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Published: June 21st 2018
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kind of touched the soul and kindled my heart ! Visited the famous Kelpies last week in Grangemouth, Falkirk.
Always wanted to see them for quiet some time now but only got the chance to visit them last week. Amazing piece of work - majestic towering structures upto 5 stories building high and yet So sumptuously beautiful as well. I arrived at 7pm but due to the Sun-set being at 10pm in June in Scotland the sky was blue. I wanted to see the night view when the lights are on.
So waited for a while until it was dark to see the night view of the kelpies. They light up with various colors and on my day it was neon green. It was rather mesmerizing to look at with all that green light lit-up with the purple blue sky at the background at 1am. As it is summer and the sun sets very late the sky kind of remains lit-up all night long in June. I had to wait couple of hours until 1am for the sky to darken a bit. I was lucky it wasn't raining and not too cold.
First impression was how
beautiful it was - it kind of touched the soul and kindled my heart ! How can such a huge structure could be so beautiful. How on earth the artist managed to capture the essence of the Clydesdale horses so precisely. Amazing is the word comes to mind, indeed.
History from the Wikipedia - Proud Equine guardians of Scottish heritage
The name was chosen by
Scottish Canals at the inception of The Helix project, in 2005.
The Kelpies name reflected the
mythological transforming beasts possessing the strength and endurance of 10 horses; a quality that is analogous with the transformational change and endurance of Scotland's inland waterways.
The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area.
According to sculptor Andy Scott, "The original concept of mythical water horses was a valid starting point for the artistic development of the structures."
He also said that he “took that concept and moved with it towards a more equine and contemporary response, shifting from any mythological references towards a socio-historical monument intended to celebrate the
horse’s role in industry and agriculture as well as the obvious association with the canals as tow horses”.
In 2008 Scott created three-metre-high miniature versions in his
Glasgow studio. These were then scanned by lasers to help the steel fabricators create accurate full-scale components.
According to Scott the end result would be
"Water-borne, towering gateways into The Helix, the Forth and Clyde Canal and Scotland, translating the legacy of the area into proud equine guardians". During the first year following the opening, nearly one million people visited the sculptures.
Andy scott the sculptor Mr.Scott is a world renounded aritst from Scotland. He has several beautiful sculptures all around the world. You can read more about him in wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Scott_(sculptor)
Lingered for quiet a while I enjoyed staying around the park and taking several photos by my mobile phone. walked around the Kelpies in a daze and amazement. It was a lovely night with purple blue sky and clear weather which is a rarity for Scotland. In that sense I was very lucky to have visited on a perfect day - after all I drove 500km
from London to see the Kelpies. I could not have asked for a better day.
Bucket list Please guys if you are reading this blog - add a visit to the Kelpies in to your bucket list.
It is truly such a magnificent edifice, the Kelpies are.
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