Mystery sculptor’s literary creations to star in exhibition

IT was a riddle to match any conjured up by Edinburgh’s celebrated authors over the years.

Book-lovers were left entranced and intrigued in equal measures after a series of tiny sculptures inspired by the city’s literary landscape began popping up around the city.

And now, the highly detailed and fragile ornaments – still shrouded in mystery over who created them – are to star in their own exhibition.

The Scottish Poetry Library – the first recipient of the unknown artist’s work last March – will be hosting the display, which is then expected to go on tour around the country.

The library’s director, Robyn Marsack, said: “We’re looking at having an exhibition from around April, at the moment.”

He added: “The artist isn’t involved with the exhibition at all. We’ve not been dealing with them and as far as I know they will not be identifying themselves.”

The idea has been backed by the other organisations to receive the sculptures. These include the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where two sculptures turned up in August, The Scottish Storytelling Centre, the National Library of Scotland, and the city council, which has two that were dropped into the Central Library and its Writers’ Museum.

It is hoped the exhibition will raise the profile of Edinburgh as a “world city of literature”.

The exhibition will feature the hand-written note left behind at the poetry library just before the final sculptures were discovered, saying: “You need to know when to end a story.”

Special arrangements are having to be made to secure the safe delivery and display of the sculptures, which include a dragon that appeared at the storytelling complex, a tiny cinema that surfaced at the city’s Filmhouse, a paper magnifying glass found in the Central Library, and a tray with a cup of tea and a cupcake left at the book festival’s site at Charlotte Square.

The mystery artist has managed to leave each creation behind without being spotted by staff or members of the public.

The farewell note was attached to the eighth sculpture, which was discovered shortly before another two were found.

Author Ian Rankin, whose books inspired many of the sculptures, was later sent his own personal sculpture, in a mystery package handed in to The Edinburgh Bookshop.

Rankin is one of the few to insist he knows the identity of the sculptor – saying he has met the female artist several times.

Donald Smith, director of The Scottish Storytelling Centre, said: “We’d be delighted to take part in an exhibition and tour.

“Our sculpture has been on display all the time since it was discovered. It’s very delicate so we moved it into a slightly safer position, but people can come in and see it any time at the moment.”