Artists bank on blooms

More than seventy species of plants ranging from tiny sea algae to complex flowers will grace the grand hall of the newly refurbished Halifax Bank of Scotland on the mound in Edinburgh.

The artwork, called Some Distance from the Sun, is the accomplishment of acclaimed artists and teachers, Dalziel and Scullion, and involves a film that begins at the early stages of plant life, sea algae, and illustrates how plants evolved to become complex and beautiful flowering specimens.

The Duncan of Jordastone artists worked closely with Dr Hugh Ingram and Alasdair Hood at the University Botanic Garden to produce the work, which will be a permanent feature of the magnificent Bryce Hall at the bank's refurbished premises.

The pair have been busy and were also commissioned to create a work to celebrate the reopening of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

The Earth Turned to Bring Us Closer, which presents more than 200 video portraits shot in the city of Glasgow, is the result of collaboration between Dalziel and Scullion and renowned composer and arranger Craig Armstrong. His musical work, Memory Takes My Hand, accompanies the film installation, which will be on show at the Gallery from 7 October to 25 February 2007.