The chair of an influential parliamentary committee asks the UK spending watchdog to probe Unboxed.
The See Monster installation in Weston-super-Mare is intended to promote the conversation about climate change
Ahead of the opening of See Monster, the latest Unboxed venture that has seen an old North Sea gas platform installed in a former lido in Weston-super-Mare, Mr Green told the BBC it was a "big and bold and ambitious" programme. His letter to the NAO, the UK's independent public spending watchdog, has increased the pressure on the festival."I'm calling for an NAO investigation to ensure we see what has happened, why it is that this money has been spent in this way and then we also learn the lessons for the future," he said.
Another 14,000 reportedly attended the kaleidoscopic experience Dreammachine, and 44,000 went to Dandelion, a grow-your-own food initiative across Scotland.Unboxed chief creative officer Martin Green is "very confident" they will hit visitor targets He added that the 66 million stretch target included everyone visiting in person; seeing it, for example on a forthcoming episode of BBC One's Countryfile; and "anyone who engages with it digitally and sees it around the world".
It's the ninth of 10 Unboxed projects that have taken place around the UK in what is termed a coming together of science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths. Local pensioner Mike Petrie said he was "really impressed" by the structure, though "a bit disappointed for all the holiday makers and all the school children who missed it".