Public art in Fife: David Mach’s Phantom comes to Kirkcaldy

So what do we think of this then? Methil-born David Mach’s long awaited driftwood-and-tacks sculpture Phantom has been lowered into place in Kirkcaldy at a cost of £35k. The artist, who was commissioned by supermarket Morrisons, said in an interview with The Courier last week that the sculpture was an ‘ugly hard ass brute’, ‘direct in the same way Fifers are’. He also said ‘it is what it is – it’s abstract.’ How does it compare to the small scale, understated pieces contributed by Glasgow artist Toby Peterson to Dunfermline’s town centre last year (£135k funded by Tesco) and to the epically scaled Kelpies by Andy Scott in Falkirk (£5m)? Interested to know what Avocado Sweet readers think about these works, their purpose and the artists’ various approaches. Tricky old business public art…