People aren’t happy about an art project paying someone $22,000 to live in Glasgow for a year

How much money would it take to persuade you not to leave your city for a full year?

For artist Ellie Harrison, that number is a little over $22,000.

Creative Scotland, an arts development program, is giving Harrison £15,000 for "The Glasgow Effect," a project in which she must remain in Glasgow for a year. She can only travel outside of the city in the event of ill-health or the death of a relative or close friend.

Why, you may ask? It’s not entirely clear.

“By setting this one simple restriction to her current lifestyle, she intends to test the limits of a ‘sustainable practice’ and to challenge the demand-to-travel placed upon the ‘successful’ artist / academic. The experiment will enable her to cut her carbon footprint and increase her sense of belonging, by encouraging her to seek out and create ‘local opportunities’ — testing what becomes possible when she invests all her ideas, time and energy within the city where she lives,” her blog explains.

But many Glaswegians aren’t impressed with the project, regardless of how well intentioned it may be.

"My nephew Rob is here. If he stood up and pulled a jumper over his head and said it was art, how could I tell him it's not? But I tell you what I won't be doing: giving him 15,000 to keep it up!" says Janey Godley, a Glasgow-based comedian.

Godley takes issue with the imagery surrounding The Glasgow Effect. The project's banner photo, both on its Facebook page and blog, features a photo of french fries — or what the Scots call chips.

"It's basically saying, 'I'm going to be looking at poverty from a very artistic angle,'" she says.

The name of the project is also an issue for many people. The Glasgow Effect is the very real phenomenon of Glaswegians having poorer health and lower life expectancy than people from the rest of the UK and Europe.

All of these factors come together to create a city that is both extremely proud, but is also always ready to be self-deprecating.

"Glaswegians are the first people to take the mick out of themselves," Godley says. "We're the first people who say, 'Look at us. We're crazy. We're mad.'"

"She's taking 15,000 to live within the city limits, like it's some kind of avant-garde Hunger Games," she jokes.

“I haven't left Glasgow in nearly 4 years. Living on benefits and raising a child at the same time can do that to you. There have even been times I couldn't even afford the bus to travel to the next town. I also live in what's considered an impoverished area where I have [seen] local services/clubs/groups suffer by funding cuts, which is why I find this totally insulting! My life is not your art to concept nor do I need you getting 15k to try,” wrote Facebook user Laura Bambi Walsh in what was one of the tamer comments on the project's Facebook page.

However, not all of the responses have been critical.

"This is a project from an artist with a solid track record in immersive projects exploring the social reality of this disparaging little island," wrote Dominic Travers. "Most of you are banging on about how many trinkets, or tartan themed promenade theatre experiences you could or couldn't produce with £15k. Glasgow. Your poor reaction to modern ideas of artistry is noted."

Plus, some say the fact that the conversation is happening at all is a good thing.

Harrison — who has lived in the city for 7.5 years — responded to the feedback. "Like any provocative artwork, The Glasgow Effect has been devised to operate on many levels at once, and the questions about ‘community’ being raised on/off social media these last few days is certainly one of them," she wrote. Creative Scotland has stepped up to defend the project.

"Ellie's project is based on the premise that if society wishes to achieve global change, then individuals have to be more active within their communities at a local level. In restricting herself to staying within the city boundaries, she is keen to explore what impact this will have her on her life and on her work as an artist with national and international commitments."

In general, Godley says she really supports Creative Scotland. But she says this project is definitely a mistake.

"There may be a child in the east end of Glasgow who is a budding Mozart and has never had a chance at a piano. Why can't we go and do those sort of things? I have great affection for Creative Scotland, but they have to admit when they got it wrong. And this time, giving a middle-class chick 15,000 to be held hostage in my beautiful city with an image of a bag of chips on it is incredibly wrong," she says.

"I'll give you 10,000 if you can keep her in your city."