ART is imitating life on an Oxford estate being transformed by large-scale building work.

Sculptures inspired by construction machinery will be put up around Rose Hill.

The Rose Hill development is due to finish this year and has seen 98 prefabricated houses pulled down and replaced by 254 new homes.

The £5.8m development includes the first new council houses in Oxford for 20 years.

Artist James Capper, who is behind the Modern Art Oxford project, said: “I am very excited about this piece in Rose Hill.

“The public in Rose Hill are quite used to this machinery.

“The amount of building work going on here is phenomenal.”

He will use an excavator to wield a set of ‘ripper teeth’ he has designed to work on sections of land around Rose Hill.

The artist will use these teeth to make marks on the land in a series of live performances through August.

Mr Capper added: “But it is definitely not just digging up the verges.

“I am drawing with the Earth and hopefully I will create some very elegant marks.”

Mr Capper’s work has previously been shown at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition where he was awarded the Jack Goldhill Prize for Sculpture.

He has also been shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2009.

Councillor Ed Turner, who represents Rose Hill and Iffley on Oxford City Council, said: “Rose Hill residents are very familiar with construction vehicles due to the building of new homes in recent years.

“The decision of Modern Art Oxford to commission James Capper is a very exciting move. I am sure his moving sculptures will be of interest to everyone in the Rose Hill community, young and old alike.”

Peter Wilkinson, chairman of Rose Hill Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, said: “MAO has done a lot of events on Rose Hill which have been generally well received. We have been going through enormous change and it has been engaging people at a time of change.”

Sarah Mossop, head of learning and partnerships at the Pembroke Street gallery, said: “We are delighted to be able to support up-and-coming artist James Capper, and to provide an opportunity for him to exhibit his work on such a grand scale in Rose Hill.”

The ‘ripper teeth’ performances will take place between 1pm and 4pm on Thursday at a building site at 45 Nowell Road; on Friday at The Oval; on August 18 and 19 off Spencer Crescent, and on August 25 and 26, also off Spencer Crescent.

Admission is free, and all land will be returned to its original state.