Village rebuffs artwork criticism

The painted wooden box sculpture cost £18,000 to create

Villagers have hit back at being branded "philistines" for campaigning against an art installation.

Aberdeenshire-based Art Work magazine said Fife Council had bowed to "ill informed opinions" and ordered the work in Dysart to be dismantled.

Health and safety concerns were cited for the removal of the white box, which lasted just four months.

Campaigner Catherine Simpson insisted the village was not against public art but that the location had to be right.

She told the BBC Scotland news website: "If it had been put at the harbour, it might have been fine but there wasn't room for it on the cliff-top.

"There was nobody who came and consulted me. I haven't heard from anybody (in the village) who agreed with it being there."

'Doughty denizens'

The structure, which was more than a metre high and 50m long, was erected in November 2007 and removed in March.

Local MSP Marilyn Livingston organised a meeting between residents and councillors in which strong views were expressed against the £18,000 structure.

In his magazine article, author John Di Folco wrote: "The doughty denizens of Dysart have certainly set themselves up as hot contenders for this year's Philistines Oscar

"Fife Council bowed to the strident protests on the basis that 'nobody was comfortable with the health and safety issues,' which is a pity since a goodly number of public art works throughout the UK would fail to meet this requirement, but thankfully remain in situ.

"That it failed is ultimately due to a disturbing trend which accords strongly-held, forcefully expressed and often ill-informed opinions, a credence and credibility they simply do not deserve."