An artist from Dundee University has been chosen to design a memorial for writer Muriel Spark in Princes Street Gardens.
Dr Jacqueline Donachie, based at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) of the University of Dundee, has been commissioned to create a permanent public monument celebrating the Scottish novelist and short story teller.
The commission comes after Dr Donachie won the Spirit of Spark competition, where artists across Europe, Asia and North and South America submitted 54 entries. Donachie’s work will take inspiration from Spark’s 1981 novel “Loitering wth Intent.”
She said: “My work is quite minimal. I start my sculptures with a notion of how I want people to interact with them – how they might lie or lean on a surface. The simplicity of this memorial belies the depth of meaning for those who engage with it, for those who delight in the complexity of Spark and her preoccupation with espionage, subterfuge and secrecy.”
The design will incorporate steps, nooks and sections to sit and lean on with curved cast terrazzo forms. It is intended to be a place to be and observe in Edinburgh’s centre.
Dr Donachie continued: “Many of her female characters were forceful in confidence in their own creativity and intellect, despite often very slender means, and I hope this work also reflects that. It would be wonder if those who love Spark and the gardens find a space to observe, to reflect and discover that mercurial spirit and the sense of fun and capriciousness of a woman who never left home without her party shoes in a bag.”
The design will be unveiled this Autumn while the memorial is set to be installed in Princes Street Gardens in Autumn 2027.
