history in bronze: One of Scotland's leading sculptors yesterday unveiled his latest work, designed to capture the rebirth of one of Glasgow's most impoverished areas.

Kenny Hunter has created a 6ft bronze to symbolise the vibrant history of the Gorbals. Girl with Rucksack is Hunter's latest work for the Artworks programme, a public art initiative that is closely associated with the area's regeneration. ''The girl implies mobility and the spirit of endurance,'' said Hunter. ''Her race and ethnicity is uncertain. She is one colour and could be from anywhere.''

An exhibition version of the statue will go to the US, where it will form the centrepiece of one of two international solo shows of his work.

Juliet Sebley, project manager for the Artworks programme, said: ''Girl with Rucksack is directly associated with the twenty-first century redevelopment.''

Hunter is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art. His most famous works include Citizen Firefighter, which stands outside the Central station in Glasgow, and Man Walks Among Us, a millennium statue of Christ.