On the Shoulder of Giants Contemporary Sculpture at St James Quarter shopping mall in Edinburgh’s city centre features blue vertical slats forming an abstract face silhouette against a reflective glass wall, sunlight and shadows shifting across pavement and nearby bench.

On the Shoulders of Giants

Edinburgh, Scotland

Found on the steps to the St James Quarter shopping mall in Edinburgh’s city centre, ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ is one-of-a-kind bespoke monument to Scotland’s cultural history. Formed from laser-cut, textured upright panels and rendered in the blue of the Scottish flag, the 12-foot-tall sculpture is a dual-view piece which compels passers-by to engage with it.

Walk up the stairs and you see the faces of a young man and a woman. Walk down and it morphs into two intellectual giants, fashion textile designer Bernat Klein and illustrator and sculptor Cecile Watson.

Design details

Vertical blue metal bars with jagged edges, inspired by textured upright panels rendered in the blue of the Scottish flag, cover the image. A wavy black crack runs vertically through the center.

Discovery

Creating figurative art is unusual for David Harber but the chance to try something new, and design a meaningful embellishment for the city, is exactly what made this a special project. A fit for purpose sculpture which provides a focal point in a busy public space, tells a story, and offers a distinct experience whether you walk up or down the steps.

Design

As well as a long-term piece of public artwork, this piece had a practical purpose. To provide a protective screen against the W Hotel’s decorative ribbon, which runs alongside the stairs. We created the face profiles from a series of laser cut uprights.

Close-up of textured upright panels rendered in the blue of the Scottish flag. This detail captures strong shadows and glossy raised lines from a 12-foot-tall contemporary sculpture at St James Quarter shopping centre, Edinburgh.

A large metal sculpture, made of textured upright panels and rendered in the blue of the Scottish flag, stands in an industrial workshop. The profiles of two people face opposite directions amid shelves, tools, and a yellow overhead crane.

A modern building with golden, textured upright panels and warm lighting curves above glass doors. Blue-lit steps lead up, flanked by a 12-foot-tall contemporary sculpture at St James Quarter shopping centre, Edinburgh. The evening sky is deep blue.

Development

Access to the site and overcoming the physical make-up of the granite steps was a challenge. But after hours of design reviews, digital surveys and a close collaborative relationship with the structural engineers, we created a strong, durable baseplate to sit between the sculpture and the steps. We solved concerns around weight loading of the crane with purposely designed counterbalance lifting beam on the sculpture and an extended reach.