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Visual ArtsYou are in: Kent > Entertainment > Visual Arts > What do you think of the white horse?  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 WallingerMark Wallinger chatted to BBC South East's Caroline Fereday at London's Hayward Gallery Help playing audio/video The £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 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 £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 Have Your SayWhat do you think? Was the horse the right decision, or do you hate it? MART Rick H, Nick K. Clarke Emma Mr Tatchell jonathan pye Mr R Whittlesea Martyn Kitchen Brian Fuller Roy Farrow Danny Murphy. New Zealand.X KENT David Severn janet mckechnie Stephanie Braack Elle Gibson William Blake Peter Wanless John Hennessy Steve Gates Amber Schwarz Michael Whitcombe Sarah Cox Christopher Marshall Mike Dickety Peter Wilson john inkpen Aitch Susanne Kumar Amanda, Canterbury Jeremy i wonnacott lee watts David I Hepworth Brian Reynolds Gravesend robert kidd Bill Chitty D Stewart Mike Struan Robertson Paul Hawkins of Gravesend Graham McCrorie M M LONE Jack O'Donnell jim turner Daniel Thompson, Nottingham Gillian Graham Porter Graham Porter Louise Sally Balcon Mr Francis Ann from scotland Dean Tweedy Annette Barsby Simon Mallett steven Lesley Whittle Anna stef Andrea Charlie Vanessa Findlay Gary B sunny John Morris Phil R Barbara Bruce Heike, Germany Nicholas Payne Eileen - Horton Kirby, Kent Annette Parton Sue Prime alf John Lary Neil Scoot david fairfax Julie Holly Jackie Banham Mo Kirchell Jill Swan Martin Ricketts SEE ALSOYou are in: Kent > Entertainment > Visual Arts > What do you think of the white horse?   External Links
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