Paisley High Street shop set to be turned into chocolate by renowned Buddie

Paisley’s cultural reboot continues apace with the arrival of an award-winning Buddie and her unique chocolate installation.

Anya Gallaccio, who was born in the town, and was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2003, will be slathering “beautifully scented chocolate” all over the walls of 18 High Street this September.

The unoccupied building has been a bit of an eyesore for some time now, but it’s hoped the installation will “engage the senses” and reiterate Paisley’s claim to be a UK-wide beacon of culture.

The initiative is being brought to Paisley by Jupiter+, Jupiter Artland’s, a contemporary sculpture park and art gallery outside the city of Edinburgh, which has an associated charity and learning programme.

Like much of Gallaccio’s work with sculpture – which has featured flowers, fruit and grass in the past - the piece will reveal how the chocolate decays over time - a theme featured in much of her work.

A spokesperson for Jupiter Artland said: “Over the years of working with Anya my respect for her work has deepened. She always thinks about material in a magical alchemical manner... creating extraordinary moments where one matter becomes another.

“This is the stuff that ignites imagination and allows for freedom of thought so valuable for a young person and yet so rarely created.

“We are looking forward to harnessing this power for the young people of Paisley.”

The exhibit is being seen as a major coup for Paisley which is currently using its rich cultural heritage to regenerate and rejuvenate its offering to locals and visitors alike.

The past year alone has seen the refurbishment and reopening of Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Arts Centre and the Learning and Cultural Hub - situated just two doors down from where Gallaccio’s exhibit will be installed.

Gallaccio was born in Paisley in 1963 but moved to London as a youngster and grew up in the south west of the English capital.

She studied at Goldsmiths College and broke into the art scene in the 1988 Damien Hirst-curated Freeze exhibition and has been named amongst the most influential artists in Britain.

Her Turner Prize nomination in 2003 saw her listed alongside Grayson Perry, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Willie Doherty for the award

Gallaccio previously worked with chocolate in… when she coated an old farm building at Edinburgh’s Jupiter Artland with almost 90 pounds of 70 percent cocoa.

The latest version of it will arrive in Paisley on September 7 and will run until December 31.

Speaking previously about her work, Gallaccio has stated: “I see my works as being a performance and collaboration . . . There is unpredictability in the materials and collaborations I get involved in. Making a piece of work becomes about chance – not just imposing will on something, but acknowledging its inherent qualities.”

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