September 22, 2011
England

Hockney slams plans to build ‘ugly’ wind farms on the landscape that inspired him

By Richard Hartley-Parkinson, Daily Mail, www.dailymail.co.uk 22 September 2011

David Hockney has criticised plans to build ‘ugly’ wind farms around the rural landscape that inspired his art, calling on people to stand up against them.

The outspoken pop artist made his views clear about plans to build turbines in Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

The 94-year-old, who has been described as Britain’s greatest living artist, lives and works in the area.

He has drawn inspiration from the surrounding countryside for many of his pencil, oil, watercolour, photographic and video portraits.

Warning that the sweeping vistas inland from the coast will be spoiled he said: ‘They are big and ugly things and they are completely out of scale. They are too big.

‘But nobody talks about beauty and ugliness any more, that is a problem.’

Plans have been submitted for nine turbines close to Woldgate, where many of Hockney’s recent paintings have been based.

He has held an exhibition featuring works capturing the beauty of the countryside around Bridlington, themes which also feature heavily in his ‘A Bigger Picture’ exhibition to be held at The Royal Academy of Arts in London next year.

But the renowned artist has said that he would not paint the turbines if they are built.

He said: ‘I certainly wouldn’t paint them. There are too many straight lines, they are unnatural. From what I read about them, it tells us that they don’t work very well.

‘The coastline and surrounding countryside around Bridlington is more charming than people realise, sometimes, I don’t think people notice where they are so much any more.

‘If you are going to go ahead and try and put them up, you must listen to what local people have to say about them.

‘People should stand up for themselves and say no to these things if they don’t agree with them – it seems that people in England have less power than any time in their history.

‘They should let the politicians know what they think and defend their area. Your taxes will subsidise these turbines being bought from abroad, but the people supplying them don’t have to live here.

‘At least the mill owners lived in them. I’m not against the new, but not everything new is good. We don’t have a shortage of energy, we just need to harness it.’

East Riding Council said there are already 11 turbines approved but not yet operational in the Wolds.

An application has been received for a further windfarm of nine turbines at the site and for 14 turbines at Hunmanby, near Scarborough, North Yorks.

There are also a number of large turbines either already built or awaiting approval in farms in the area.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/22/hockney-slams-plans-to-build-ugly-wind-farms-on-the-landscape-that-inspired-him/