West Cumbria coastline earmarked for new artwork

A tidal pool to reflect the sky is Olafur Elisasson's idea

Four artists have been shortlisted to create a new artwork which will be sited on the coast of West Cumbria.

The project Deep Time has been commissioned by Copeland Borough Council and paid for by the government, Sellafield and Arts Council England.

The submissions from international artists will go on display in Whitehaven at the weekend.

They include a tidal pool, a sunken garden, an abandoned building recreation and a slag heap sculpture.

Olafur Eliasson's work would be viewed by a series of rings to create an optical illusion

Olafur Eliasson

The Icelandic-Danish artist is proposing a steel basin that stretches 90ft (30m) across mud flats.

Called Your Daylight Destination, it would see the basin submerged by the tide, and the water collected in the pool reflecting the sky, which can be viewed from a platform.

Mr Eliasson said: "I developed it in close conversation with the author Robert Macfarlane, whose highly specialist academic and poetic knowledge of Copeland were invaluable for the creative process."

Rachel Whiteread wants to create a concrete interior to sit alongside an abandoned building at Drigg

Rachel Whiteread

The Turner Prize winner wants to transform an abandoned building at Drigg by casting a replica of the building's interior which would be put next to it.

Ms Whiteread said: "Eventually the original building will disappear or be left as detritus, as commonly seen in agricultural sheds or railing sidings.

"The facsimile will stay there, blank and mute, battling the elements and the onslaught from the Irish Sea, organically becoming part of the environment."

A sunken garden with deconstructed sights, sounds and scents is the idea put forward by Piet Oudolf

Piet Oudolf

Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf and an international collective are proposing an immersive sunken garden at a disused quarry.

It would see sights, sounds and scents of a garden recorded and played out throughout the year.

Mr Oudolf said: "Gardens heal - they heal individuals and communities and they have the potential to heal our planet."

Roger Hiorns wants to transform a slag heap at Millom into a sculpture

Roger Hiorns and Tom Emerson

British artist Roger Hiorns and Tom Emerson from 6a architects want to create a sculpture out of a slag heap at Millom, left behind from the end of the iron industry.

With holes drilled into it, the artists hope seeds will grow there, transforming the artwork.

Mr Hiorns said: "For us, the slag heap at Millom is a key cultural object. Its scale and harsh granularity is tough, both physically and emotionally".

'High-profile artists'

The ideas will go on display at the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven from Saturday to 9 October, and will then move to Windermere Jetty Museum from 20 October to 20 November.

Visitors will be invited to leave comments for the judging panel who will decide which receives funding.

Copeland Borough Council's economic development manager Sarah Mitchell said: "We're excited to have attracted such high-profile artists and welcome the public's views on their proposals."