A half-ton “stormproof” art installation which was blown away by strong winds has been resurrected – after thousands of pounds of repairs were carried out.
“Still”, a statue of a mirrored figure in Perthshire, vanished in January after a 90mph storm knocked it over.
The 10-ft installation was found a month later – decapitated, badly scratched and with pieces missing.
Still’s creator, Glasgow-based Rob Mulholland, recovered the statue from the water and has spent the last few months carrying out repairs.
Now, with the help of four “burly” men, he has managed to reinstall the figure on the bank of Loch Earn in St Fillans, much to the delight of local residents.
The statue, which was originally commissioned by the nearby Four Seasons Hotel, will remain in place over the summer but will be removed as winter approaches to avoid further storm damage.
Mr Mulholland said: “We reinforced the figure and extended the base he was on before, so hopefully he won’t be knocked over again.
“There was a couple of thousands of pounds worth of damage, and I had to re-attach his head and weld some parts which had been battered out of shape.
“I had a lot of people asking when he would be put back in – it’s amazing how many people are interested in it.
“It’s great that people were missing him. He will be in place over summer but we’ll take him back out once the season is over to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The figure consists of hundreds of tiny pieces which act like mirrors, and was specially designed to allow wind and water to flow through it to minimise any potential damage.
The statue was installed after four similar artworks on loan to the hotel proved popular with visitors.
The mirrored form is designed to appear as if it is continually changing, reflecting the light, rippling water, rocks on the beach and the ever-changing Scottish weather.
It was held in place by large, heavy concrete blocks and rubble placed over the base, but these were moved by the heavy pounding of the waves during a storm earlier this year.
The Four Season’s Hotel announced the return of Still last week, which was met with delight from locals who were used to seeing him.
Andrew Jack wrote: “Absolutely delighted this is back – looking better than ever.”
Rod Hanchard-Goodwin added: “Great news and thanks for all the hard work. He has been missed.”
Lindsay Johnstone said: “Back where he belongs.”
