6 January 2016
Apollo

Glasgow Grant to Artist Sparks Outrage

Social media appears to have a new bête noire in the form of artist Ellie Harrison, who has come under fire for a publicly funded project called ‘The Glasgow Effect’. Harrison’s idea is to spend an entire year within the city limits of Glasgow (where she has lived since 2008) without leaving at all. Her intriguing idea sparked online vitriol almost as soon as she announced it on Facebook, as commentators criticised her for engaging in a ‘poverty safari’ – a tag no doubt linked to the fact that Harrison decided to illustrate her inaugural post with an image of a plate of chips. The main cause of contention seems to be the £15,000 of public money Harrison has been granted. Creative Scotland, which provided the cash, has defended the initiative.