A new exhibition, which opens on Wednesday this week (9th November), is offering residents of Broughty Ferry the chance to help design the finishing touches to a Sea Eagle sculpture planned for the banks of the Tay.
In November 2009 students from the illustration programme of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, created work telling the story of the return of Sea Eagles to East Scotland for a public exhibition in Dundee. The winning design was a sculpture of three eight foot copper coloured feathers created by Kirkcaldy student Ellen Brown, “It’s great to see it all beginning to come together as I never thought it would really happen”.
Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the support of Dundee City Council plans are now underway to build the sculpture next year on the banks of the Tay. Carrie Watt of RSPB Scotland said: “Next term students at DJCAD will be back in the studio creating designs that will surround the sculpture, but before they can do that they are looking for inspiration. So we’re asking the public to come along to Broughty Ferry Library between the 9th and 12th November, to discover more about Scotland’s Sea Eagles and give us ideas for what they think the students should include in their designs.”
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “Feathers by the Firth is an important part of a project to save one of our rarest birds. The RSPB has successfully reintroduced sea eagle chicks to the area but now we need to ensure their long-term survival. This exhibition will give people the opportunity to learn more about this iconic bird of prey and the role it plays in Scotland’s biodiversity. That knowledge will hopefully help safeguard the existence of the Sea Eagles for future generations.”
Feathers by the Firth will run from Wednesday 9th November until Saturday 12th November at Broughty Ferry Library. On Saturday, the final day of the exhibition there will be Sea Eagle badge making from 11am-4pm. I’ll be there Friday afternoon until 7pm and all day Saturday so come along for a chat and learn more about this stunning work of art and the eagles!