THE BEACON Museum in Whitehaven is to showcase proposals for a landmark piece of public art in Copeland.

Copeland Borough Council has commissioned the piece, and other works, as part of Deep Time: Commissions for the Lake District Coast.

The Deep Time arts programme is part of the wider Connecting Cumbria's Hidden Coast, funded by Copeland Borough Council, the Coastal Communities Fund, Sellafield Ltd’s ‘Social Impact multiplied’ programme and Arts Council England.

READ MORE: Sellafield Story at the Beacon, Whitehaven given a refresh

Copeland Borough Council’s Economic Development Manager, Sarah Mitchell, said: "It's very exciting to be commissioning such an important artwork to celebrate Copeland's incredible coastline.

"The exhibition is accompanied by talks and events featuring the artists and project commissioners. We want as many people as possible to come along and share their thoughts on the proposals, and find out more about the project and our plans."

Events include a discussion with Turner-prize winner Rachel Whiteread, a screening of films by researcher-in-residence Christina Picchi and a tour of the exhibition with curator Aldo Rinaldi.

The free exhibition, running from September 10 until October 9, will showcase proposals from four teams vying to create one impressive piece of public art along the Copeland coast. Visitors will be asked to give their feedback on the plans.

The ideas will be brought to life with designs, models and films, developed over the last two years in response to the landscape and coastline of Copeland.

The artists hoping to win the commission are: Rachel Whiteread; Olafur Eliasson; Roger Hiorns with Tom Emerson (6A Architects); and Piet Oudolf with Nicolas Becker, Thomas Piper, Emanuele Coccia, AMI, and VPPR Architects.

The Deep Time programme celebrates Copeland's ecology, history, industry and rugged beauty. This dynamic landscape is where mountains and valleys meet the Irish Sea and it is constantly changing, depending on the tide, light and weather.

As well as the proposed landmark piece, the Deep Time project includes the creation of other artworks around the borough, as well as some written-word pieces.