Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillors have voiced strong opposition to a controversial $1.6 million sculpture project planned for Bangor's waterfront. The project features three major art installations by renowned local artist Colin Davidson, but has drawn criticism from local officials who question whether it represents good value for taxpayers' money.
At a local council committee meeting this week, DUP members voted against the three bronze sculpture installations for the Bangor waterfront area, which are currently being completed by Davidson. The artist, who lives in the Bangor area, is widely regarded as Northern Ireland's most famous contemporary artist and is known for his portraits of public figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a recent sculpture of George Mitchell that stands in front of Queen's University's Lanyon Building.
The controversy intensified earlier this summer when Bangor residents complained they had been ignored by authorities, including Stormont and Ards and North Down Borough Council, when they requested information about the costs and commissioning process for the three sculptures. Residents were particularly concerned that there was no public tendering or competitive bidding process for the project, which is typically required for public procurement.
Members of the Ards and North Down Resident's Voice group expressed frustration with the lack of accountability from public bodies. While they had no objections to Davidson as the chosen artist, they felt the authorities had abandoned proper procedures by failing to provide a competitive process for awarding the contract. A group representative emphasized their concerns, stating: "We're ratepayers, it's our money."
Ards and North Down Borough Council defended their decision, explaining: "In discussion with the principal funder, the Department for Communities, the council decided to commission Colin Davidson via direct award." The Department for Communities justified the procurement method, stating: "The procurement route taken by the council was in compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Regulation 32 (2) (b) (i) of The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 allows for the direct procurement of a unique piece of art."
According to the Department for Communities, the total cost of the Bangor installations is estimated at approximately $1.58 million, with the department contributing $1.29 million. The remaining funding, over $246,000, will be provided by the council. For comparison, Belfast's 'Rise' installation, colloquially known as 'The Balls on the Falls,' went through competitive public tender in 2008 and cost less than half the Davidson project at $598,000.
During this week's Place and Prosperity Committee meeting, councillors were asked to approve a progress report and authorize continuation of the project. While all other parties in the chamber at Church Street in Newtownards supported the project, DUP members provided the sole dissenting voices.
DUP Alderman Robert Adair was particularly vocal in his opposition, telling the chamber: "I have consistently been in opposition to this project, and that opposition has not changed. I will be voting against the recommendation here tonight. I cast my mind back to a number of years ago at this very committee, when we were discussing a sculpture here for the most easterly point of the whole island of Ireland at Burr Point, Ballyhalbert. The sculpture there had been damaged due to coastal elements, and it was going to cost $6,150 to put in a new one. The back-and-forth in this committee, with members saying $6,150 was too much - yet here we have sculptures at over a million. I don't feel this is good value for money, and many of our ratepayers feel the same."
UUP Councillor Craig Blaney offered a contrasting perspective, stating: "I am very happy with the progress these sculptures have made. A lot of this money is not from the council, and had we refused to move forward with this process, and not get these sculptures, we would have lost that money. $984,000 is a significant amount, and this would have been lost to another borough."
The vote results showed nine elected representatives supporting approval of the update and project continuation, while two DUP councillors voted against it and one abstained. A council officer report provided to the committee described the initiative's broader significance: "These bespoke pieces of artwork will be a significant art regeneration project but moreover, these will be a fitting complement to the wider Queen's Parade and Bangor Waterfront redevelopment projects."
The three bronze hand sculptures will each feature standalone lighting columns positioned nearby to create directional lighting toward each sculpture. This lighting design will produce different shadow shapes on adjacent walls or on the ground, with the positioning carefully planned to maximize light cast while avoiding interference with local biodiversity, particularly bats.
Each sculpture will feature hands in different configurations designed to create specific shadow shapes. The first piece, called 'The Dove,' will have hands positioned to produce a dove-shaped shadow onto the ground at Marine Gardens. The second sculpture, 'The Swan,' will be located west of the existing Queen's Parade parking area and will feature hands positioned to cast a swan-shaped shadow onto an adjacent wall. The third installation, 'The Crab,' will be situated on Eisenhower Pier and will create a crab-shaped shadow through its hand positioning. Despite the ongoing political opposition, the project continues to move forward as part of Bangor's broader waterfront redevelopment initiative.
