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What do you think of the white horse?

The winning design for the much-talked-about Ebbsfleet Landmark sculpture is Mark Wallinger's white horse. Do you think it's the right decision?

A giant white horse, built by Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, will stand on a hill near Ebbsfleet International station.

Meeting Mark Wallinger

Mark Wallinger chatted to 成人快手 South East's Caroline Fereday at London's Hayward Gallery

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The 拢2m horse will measure up to 164ft in height, and will be the biggest public work of art in the UK, more than twice the size of Antony Gormley's Angel Of The North in Gateshead, and roughly the same height as Nelson's Column.

The Ebbsfleet project is the UK's听 biggest and most significant public art commission since Gormley's most famous work was unveiled in 1998, so it's no surprise it's been dubbed Angel Of The South ever since the idea was announced in 2007, although Gormley was never one of the shortlisted artists.

Richard Deacon's abstract polyhedrons didn't win

The statue was commissioned to help symbolise regeneration around Ebbsfleet. As well as the station, around 10,000 new homes, offices and shops are planned for the area over the next 20 years.

The sculpture will be visible from the A2 and from Eurostar trains travelling to and from London.

Mark Wallinger won the Turner prize in 2007 for State Britain, a recreation of the banners and paraphernalia of Brian Haw's Parliament Square protest against UK military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is no stranger to Kent, and created a permanent piece of work on The Leas at Folkestone as part of last year's Triennial sculpture expo.

The judges preferred the horse to the cube tower

Five designs were shortlisted in the initial stages of the competition, including one by fellow Turner Prize winner Rachel Whiteread. After a public consultation at Bluewater, the list was reduced to three in September last year, and Wallinger's horse beat an abstract pile of polyhedrons by Richard Deacon and a tower of stacked cubes with a laser beam shining through it by French artist Daniel Buren.

Despite organisers' insistence that all five designs were treated on equal merit, it was Wallinger's horse that attracted the public imagination, and the most publicity.

Kent County Council even launched a campaign to persuade Wallinger to submit a rearing Invicta horse instead, to reflect the county's symbol. But the council confirmed that they have no financial involvement with the project.

Building work is not expected to start on the sculpture for at least a year. So far half the 拢2 million needed has been raised by the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project commission, and it hopes to raise the rest from private donations.

So the day the giant horse makes its debut on the Kent landscape may be a while yet.

last updated: 17/02/2009 at 17:03
created: 09/02/2009

Have Your Say

What do you think? Was the horse the right decision, or do you hate it?

MART
HOPE IT IS BUILT ON THE HILL NEAR EBBSFLEET FOOTBALL GROUND AND TRAIN STATION.
Tue Aug 25 17:49:41 2009

Rick H,
Grand idea! If you look at other such landmarks, you -know- there's going to be an expansion of tourism jobs in the area. I do think they should make every effort to build the horse with local labor and materials.
Thu Jun 4 17:12:27 2009

Nick
Listen to yourselves!!! It is this kind of negative Kentish attitude that really annoys me. Here is an opportunity to impress those from overseas and here we are moaning about it. Ok we are in financial turmoil, but we are British and we won't give up just because some bankers have messed up the system, why should the have all the fun! Go ahead and build it add some culture to Kent. These people obviously need it!
Sat May 16 14:08:02 2009

K. Clarke
It is simply a gigantic replica of a horse, It doesnt really have anything of a unique style. i do feel however that it will be a fantastic piece of work and if his small scale model is anything to go by a brilliant piece of engineering.
Thu Apr 30 21:51:07 2009

Emma
I personaly think that the horse was, and is a fantastic idea. I think it will be the new Effel Tower, just to show what an agricultural country we are!
Tue Mar 17 20:37:47 2009

Mr Tatchell
I think we should be grateful of such talent wanting to construct a beautiful kentish symbol in Ebbsfleet. So what if is not the invicta horse on its hind legs. How many horses do you see in fields standing on its back legs. Not many! I can't wait to see this work of art installed.
Tue Mar 3 12:10:21 2009

jonathan pye
This "docile Dobbin" only partially represents our Kentish heritage, and could even be a cow!! Surely it has to be the White Horse "Rampant" representing our "undefeated" county, hence "Invicta".Men from Kent have always been at the forefront in times of conflict, including members of my family, and many have died. This would be a fitting memorial to them and to the long history of our county going back to Hengist and Horsa and beyond.Additionally, visitors to Ebbsfleet would be far more impressed, especially athletes attending the Olympics, to be faced with an animated horse rather than a "docile dobbin"Too great an opportunity to miss - I implore you to think again.
Mon Feb 23 11:02:55 2009

Mr R Whittlesea
It should be a prancing Horse? Do we need a statue during a recession??could the money be spent on something more urgent?
Mon Feb 23 10:18:58 2009

Martyn Kitchen
Who on earth makes these stupid decisions, I bet they all have horses. me and my wife voted at bluewater and all the models had people milling around them except one. Smacks of yet another public consultation where minds have been made up. What a disapointment.
Sun Feb 22 09:15:22 2009

Brian Fuller
Yes, as the other entries were monstrosoties,especially the one the one that looked like a battered electricity pylon.
Sun Feb 22 09:01:53 2009

Roy Farrow
If the comments so far are representative of peoples feelings they were obviously not asked for their ideas.Once again the panel of experts think they know best and we end up with an inanimate dobbin.What a waste of money.Two million pounds and rising.
Sat Feb 21 22:34:42 2009

Danny Murphy. New Zealand.X KENT
The white horse means o lot to me wether it's prancing or not. It symbolises the beauty of the garden of england.The polyhendrons looks like a power pylon hit by lightning, and the cube should fit quite well on the beaches of Normady. I say go for it Kent it's your symbol it;s your identity it belongs very much in the beautiful heart of KENT.
Sat Feb 21 20:37:12 2009

David Severn
So where is the art and originality?? It would be better to build a Tony Harts - Morph
Sat Feb 21 10:53:24 2009

janet mckechnie
I think the white horse is an insult to the people of Kent!It is ugly, grossly oversize, over priced, and if it's to be made of cement, presumably they will be rounding up flocks of seagulls to keep flying over it so it continues to stay white!!Seriously, who selected it?If we are to have a white horse, then let us have the proper invicta horse, rampant over the shield of Kent, and certainly not so huge. Do we get a say in this?
Fri Feb 20 21:58:47 2009

Stephanie Braack
The economic future of the world is uncertain, but what the hay, let us construct this abominable ludicrous monstrosity, it is a fitting legacy for this era of wanton greed and stupidity!
Thu Feb 19 21:29:56 2009

Elle Gibson
The horse is not a symbol of art and has no imagination or true meaning behind it. It will become an embarrassment to kent. If a statue is really needed could it not of been of a stylised horse, which is more of a symbol of kents beauty rather than this model which looks like an oversized plastic childs toy. Is this sculpture crucial anyway to be costing us two million pounds?! Clearly the money could be spent elsewhere on causes which the county are aware of.
Wed Feb 18 16:53:23 2009

William Blake
No doubt it will nicknamed the Northfleet Nag.
Tue Feb 17 19:12:42 2009

Peter Wanless
Living just across the feilds from Ebbsfleet I will see the horse everyday as I look out of the window, I do not have a problem with it,I thought it would have been bigger so they could see it from France.
Tue Feb 17 19:02:01 2009

John Hennessy
What a golden opportunity to promote Kent and the South East missed here. This 'work' looks as though it has just been removed from a 'Barbie goes Horse Riding' plastic kit. Instead of the proud prancing Invicta Stallion demonstrating the vigorous and undefeated nature of our County we have been fobbed off with this utter banal rubbish - a symbol of the watered down country we have become.Surely there must be a Health and Safety rule against it.
Tue Feb 17 19:01:47 2009

Steve Gates
What a load of rubbish. Could have done as well with my Brittons Farm Set. Has the 'Artist' even considered the engineering ?
Tue Feb 17 19:00:07 2009

Amber Schwarz
Why does it have to be so big? Its a total waste of money and could that money go to something more serious such as the credit crunch?
Mon Feb 16 14:58:42 2009

Michael Whitcombe
I don't understand what the design has todo with Kent, Why not the invicta horse on its back legs? That would make more sense!
Sat Feb 14 22:43:42 2009

Sarah Cox
I think it's a total waste of money and will end up as a filthy eyesore that will make the UK another laughing stock!
Sat Feb 14 20:08:14 2009

Christopher Marshall
It should be the 'Invicta' horse, and far away from the pylons and wires.
Sat Feb 14 19:50:58 2009

Mike Dickety
It is a nice design but it should be half the size.
Sat Feb 14 17:49:20 2009

Peter Wilson
I do not think this is right. Firstly why do we have to have a horse at all? Kent is the garden of England - could we not have had a sculpture reflecting that. Secondly if we have to have a horse could we not have one that looks right? The proportions of this one are all wrong!
Sat Feb 14 17:41:05 2009

john inkpen
Another monstrosity foisted on the long suffering Kent populace.Hasn't Kent countryside been raped enough by the Rail Link? Three possible names for the thingDobbin of the SouthEEyore of the SouthEyesore of the SouthBy the way, how do they expect to keep the thing clean?
Sat Feb 14 17:07:57 2009

Aitch
What a bland image, no impact, no action.This dobbin looks pathetic compared to the 2 dimension 'Osborne' black bull that dominated hilltops above Spanish motorways. (If you've never come round a bend and been confronted by one, see www.theblackbull.org).If we must have a horse, sit a knight on its back, make it rear up, anything, just inject some action and meaning into the concept.Shepway Council did a much better job!
Sat Feb 14 15:46:36 2009

Susanne Kumar
I would have chosen a horse with movement and certainly no bridle. I suggest that if nothing else this should be removed from the sculpture
Sat Feb 14 14:47:13 2009

Amanda, Canterbury
hmmm "regeneration" eh? Horses to me represent green fields. Will this be looming over a concrete jungle? Even though this is made with private money it is still PUBLIC sculpture, and therefore local landscape, history etc should have been taken into account. I wonder what the commissioners were looking for when they asked artists to submit their work?
Sat Feb 14 10:49:50 2009

Jeremy
o my gosh it is like a stupid barbie horse, i hate it!!
Sat Feb 14 08:22:20 2009

i wonnacott
i think this is a total waste of money and should be spent for to improve our road's,or go into builiding,a few council houses for the younger familie's in need....
Sat Feb 14 06:00:55 2009

lee watts
this will only become another eyesore of which there are many dotted around the country, as a gravesend person there are many other good uses to which 2 million pounds could be spent, and better looking sculptures if there is to be one
Sat Feb 14 00:21:58 2009

David I Hepworth
The budget of 拢2m is totally insufficient. For a quality sculpture as illustrated in the picture. You need a budget of 拢25 to 拢30 million. 拢2m will not pay for the planning foundations and scaffolding.None the less it is a great idea and should be built. It is only going to be about 50pence each and Iwould gladly chip in 拢100.I think it should be called Whinny
Fri Feb 13 23:02:19 2009

Brian Reynolds Gravesend
Its an abortion borne by arrogance from London and Continental and Land Securities. They know the feeling of the poor designs and yet needed to continue to save face. But the test will be whether this piece of non-iconic, unrelated to the area, piece of trash will get passed the planning process. As a structural engineer, I would be interested to see the wind load calcs for such a solid onject in an exposed position and the cost of 拢 2 millions will be a wild estimated. You can triple that cost during the detailed design stage. Land Securities is supposed to be so local orientated yet they care nothing and contribute nothing to the locals of North Kent. London and Continental the same. A icon to be proud of it will not. It will be vandalised, graffiti ridden and properly air gunned. That really instills pride to North Kent!
Fri Feb 13 19:11:17 2009

robert kidd
i think the horse is ok as a horse but why must we have it blotting the landscape .None of the other submittesd desighns are much cop either.The cost of 拢2m is way below the the end cost and the money could be better spent on decent services on the new developement at the thames gateway.
Fri Feb 13 17:21:51 2009

Bill Chitty
NEIGH thrice NEIGH - even Beswick would have rejected this design. At least the AOTN always looked majestic this piece of art just looks fit for the knackers cart.
Fri Feb 13 17:03:07 2009

D Stewart
What a dreadful waste of money. Perhaps it should be called the "white elephant"! A park, or hospital or library or sports hall could have been built at the price.
Fri Feb 13 16:50:47 2009

Mike
what has a standing horse to do with Kent. Surely if such a huge amount of money is to be spent it should reflect the county of Kent
Fri Feb 13 16:39:50 2009

Struan Robertson
i like it but i like the idea of the invicta horse better.
Fri Feb 13 16:29:02 2009

Paul Hawkins of Gravesend
2 million and not a penny of public money- great. So basically a freebie for the people of Kent. OK - its not a rampant horse (Horsa will be turning in his gravegrave)...but is that really feasible for a statue this big? I think it looks serene and majestic so maybe a good compromise.... once it is built the size of the thing will be awe inspiring. Come on the Fleet!
Fri Feb 13 15:55:03 2009

Graham McCrorie
This is not art, it is just a large replication of a horse standing in a field. Let鈥檚 have the grandiose gesture, but lets have a proper sculpture and that of Invicta horse to represent Kent.As for the cost I hear the tax payer is not paying, but are not the organisations sponsoring this receiving government subsidies in some form or other.
Fri Feb 13 14:41:08 2009

M M LONE
WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY.WE ALREADY ARE IN RECESSION. HOW CAN SOMEONE THINK FOR THAT. BY THE TIME IT WILL BE FINISHED, IT WILL BE COSTING THE PUBLIC DOUBLE THE MONEY PLANNED.
Fri Feb 13 14:01:11 2009

Jack O'Donnell
i think it is point less why would you put it there waste of time and moneydont do it !!!!!!!!
Fri Feb 13 13:58:26 2009

jim turner
waste of money
Fri Feb 13 13:43:12 2009

Daniel Thompson, Nottingham
I think it's superb, a real beautiful beast. I would. I think it is important to keep wasting money on art, rather than spending it on sensible things like education, environment and health. More I say, more!
Fri Feb 13 12:36:01 2009

Gillian
What an absolute waste of money which should be spent on a more needy cause. As for supporting the construction industry - what a crazy comment with all these houses being built in a once green Kent!
Fri Feb 13 12:26:07 2009

Graham Porter
Why not the invicta horse on its back legs
Fri Feb 13 12:08:15 2009

Graham Porter
It's not right, a school child could of come up with a better more unique design for Kent and how on earth does it cost one million to get to this stage......
Fri Feb 13 12:04:46 2009

Louise
I love it, I live in Kent and cant wait to be able to see when when I drive up to London. Its a Kent symbol (in the fact that it is a white horse) as well as having echos to the white horses that are found on hillsides in the UK - its got a modern twist but I think its great. People who are saying it needs to be rampant have missed the point - it wasnt commissioned by Kent so it does not have to be a Kent symbol but the artist has managed to bring Kentish as well as ancient elements into the piece. It would be interesting to look back to the complaints about the angel of the north statue before it was built as everyone seems to love it now.
Fri Feb 13 11:18:14 2009

Sally Balcon
What a sorry looking animal. Surely it should be rampant clearly displaying the motto "INVICTA" ?
Fri Feb 13 10:58:56 2009

Mr Francis
Absolute waste of money. There are many many local causes that would benefit from financial support by this commission that would be better received by the local population.
Fri Feb 13 09:56:33 2009

Ann from scotland
What a waste of money, which could be put to better use in this economic climate
Fri Feb 13 09:36:31 2009

Dean Tweedy
I'm quite glad it's not happily prancing across land that has been so horribly scarred by construction work
Fri Feb 13 08:39:30 2009

Annette Barsby
A waste of public money. Who decides what our money is spent on? What gives them the right to spend that kind of sum on a sculpture which will do nothing to help the area? Similar projects have been done and I do not believe we can afford to waste money on such thingsNo I do not hate it, its good but worthless, except to the bloke who gets the money for making it.
Fri Feb 13 07:57:29 2009

Simon Mallett
Invicta stands for unbeaten, this symbol dates back to Roman times, Kent (the cantiacii) were never defeated! Whallinger's Dobbin seems to show Invicta finally subdued and bridled. A humiliation for Kent, are we going to stand for this! No we won't!
Fri Feb 13 07:39:28 2009

steven
as everyone else says a horse rampant is our badge of honour. This is insulting, the poor beast looks fir for the glue factory
Fri Feb 13 07:39:24 2009

Lesley Whittle
Its a blatant copy of a "Beswick" horse. A sometimes popular ornament that sits on people's mantlepieces gathering dust. But Whallinger isn't known for originality, his other claim to fame being walking around in a monkey suit. Often seen on marathons, and stag parties.
Fri Feb 13 07:33:28 2009

Anna
Mmmm...looking forward to seeing the graffiti! A nice blank canvas but it will probably improve a rather bland monument! Think the money is better off spent elsewhere!
Fri Feb 13 07:08:55 2009

stef
This is the worse design they could have possible chose. None of the submitted choices were good to begin with. I just think that its a waste of tax payers money. I would rather have our money spent on something useful that would benefit Kent rather then a new canvas for budding graffiti artists. It will be a giant monstrosity. why would any one want to see a giant white horse. i feel sorry for all the people that will be getting the train to work that have an irrational fear of horses.
Fri Feb 13 07:08:10 2009

Andrea
Its awful. Surely something else a little more classy or artistic than a ruddy great white horse stuck in the countryside. I,m sure the money could be used for something a little more useful. Why not ask the people of Kent what they want.
Thu Feb 12 23:58:14 2009

Charlie
do you think high rise flats in the area would come wwith a discribtion of. view of horses bottom!!! dont gte me wwrong i think a statue or summin would be a good idea. but why the horse and why so big. could we not have had summin more modern to go with the ever changing times???
Thu Feb 12 23:08:15 2009

Vanessa Findlay
I think it's a great idea but.. what is the head-collar about?? These are worn in fields by horses that won't be caught. It ruins the natural majesty & beauty of the horse please please can we lose it?
Thu Feb 12 22:24:11 2009

Gary B
totally wrong idea. why would anyone like a big white horse which costs millions. surely we can find better use for that kind of money.
Thu Feb 12 22:23:18 2009

sunny
it should have been the cube tower!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thu Feb 12 21:13:47 2009

John Morris
No way can a work of art like this be called a waste of money,when badly run banks use tax payers money to reward incompetant staff.
Thu Feb 12 20:35:04 2009

Phil R
I am in agreement with the so far majority. What a waste of money. Much better things could be done with the money, and even if the work is going to be done by local trade (really?) a more traditional Invicta horse would be better. Its time to look at what is really important to peoples lives and the community, not these grandiose statements and gestures.
Thu Feb 12 20:19:54 2009

Barbara Bruce
Not needed, the money should be spent where it is needed especially in the current climate
Thu Feb 12 16:47:11 2009

Heike, Germany
When considering the true meaning of "Invicta", this shy and (e)motionless white horse gives the strong impression of "All show and no go." It has absolutely nothing in common with your symbol of dignity - the rearing, strong and powerful horse whose fortitude one can literally feel. It sparkles with the inconquerable Kentish spirit - whereas the other one just trickles with boredom.If I were you (and hopefully one day I will since I favourise your wonderful county for my new home) I would take these 2 million and invest them in the future of your children and young people in order to make Gordon Brown's visions of a better educated youth come true!
Thu Feb 12 16:37:23 2009

Nicholas Payne
A work of art? It is a horse! It's not even rearing its just grazing.
Thu Feb 12 14:25:01 2009

Eileen - Horton Kirby, Kent
If we really need a statue, why spend 拢2m on a 164ft white horse with a bridle it has NO Kentish meaning. A rampant horse is the Kent Invicta symbol, read your history! Listen and read people's comments before letting this project go ahead.
Thu Feb 12 13:45:11 2009

Annette Parton
It is a pleasant enough sculpture, but why waste so much money on something that does not benefit anyone. Surely it would be better to look out on a 'natural' landscape. Why not spend the 2 million in aid for a cause more deserving. IT COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE RIGHT HANDS!
Thu Feb 12 12:52:41 2009

Sue Prime
WHy do we need to waste so much money to place a large horse on a hill. The money would be better spent on improving schools, child services or other tangent benefits to the community. It is an eyesore that I will have to see as I live locally. There was not enough local canvassing to gain local opinion
Thu Feb 12 12:38:51 2009

alf
It's a sad, sad day for British Art. After all the art education in UK schools is this the only concept we can up with. I hear a rumble...it's Henry moore turning in his grave. Where are the great contemporary sculptors that can do better than copy a horse?
Thu Feb 12 12:23:00 2009

John Lary
It's horrible is my subjective view. And in reply to Julie. my objective view is that the 拢2m could have been spent on construction - of affordable social housing..
Thu Feb 12 12:12:14 2009

Neil
Doesn't look very angellic to me. I would prefer the unbridalled Invicta version.
Thu Feb 12 12:06:52 2009

Scoot
What a waste of 拢2m especially at a times like this!!He didn't 'design' it, it's a horse - he's just making a very large copy of a natural creation. Then few years down the line, more money will be needed to maintain it, etcWhy does Kent or any area need to be represented by something like this? It's what's inside that counts. This horse will not actually generate any good causes.
Thu Feb 12 11:27:00 2009

david fairfax
What a pity it s not a rampant Invicta the TRUE symbol of Kent!
Thu Feb 12 10:53:08 2009

Julie
The negative comments are getting a bit silly, lack an objective view and a full appreciation of what's being planned here. This horse won't be dropping out of the sky, Kentish tradesmen will be making it! Constrution workers are losing their jobs and homes wholesale and without a project to keep them going and not migrating off to find work, we will be back to the 90s where no one could find a builder to fix their house. Perhaps this isn't the right choice but any construction project is good for the economy. Please stop ignoring the importance of supporting the construction industry through this difficult time. Their livelihoods are just as important as anyone else's!
Thu Feb 12 10:11:56 2009

Holly
Much too large, too expensive and, especially given the current financial climate, extremely irresponsible.
Thu Feb 12 09:57:12 2009

Jackie Banham
I wonder how long it'll be before someone puts a huge pile of plastic manure next to it.
Thu Feb 12 08:47:17 2009

Mo Kirchell
What a Monstrosity this is. What is the point in erecting this "structure", The many who are struggling to survive at this moment in time would be able to use the 拢2 million more effectively.
Thu Feb 12 07:46:42 2009

Jill Swan
it dumbs art down, but then bluewater dumbs commerce down and it a roaring sucess. I think its a winner
Thu Feb 12 07:17:28 2009

Martin Ricketts
It appears to be meaningless. Is it's just standing there, doing nothing, meant to symbolise Britain these days?
Thu Feb 12 02:07:37 2009

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