Edinburgh College of Art gives lion some specs appeal

by Shaun Milne

Edinburgh College of Art have unveiled its ‘mane’ October attraction – a giant pair of spectacles for the Lion of Scotland sculpture in the city’s St Andrew’s Square.

The commission from The City of Edinburgh Lions Club aims to raise awareness of glaucoma in Scotland and the UK, as a result of their support of the International Glaucoma Association.

Graduate and Artist in Residence 2010/11 Thomas Payne, who only graduated in June with an MA in Product Design, came up with the idea.

He said: “It took several days to develop a design that would fit neatly onto this sculpture without damaging it or falling off.

“It isn’t obvious from the front but there is only one eye – the back of the sculpture is flat – so the challenge was in designing and making one eyed spectacles without making it obvious there was only one lens.

“It was a great project to work on.”

International Vice President Sid Scruggs, of the Lions Club, was visiting Edinburgh from Chicago, USA for the event and the International Board meeting of The Lions Clubs.

The Lion was sculpted by Ronald Rae, an Edinburgh College of Art alumnus, and installed in April this year.

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