I heard this evening on the radio that Manchester city council have decided to dismantle and store the B of the Bang, the eye-catching public artwork that currently stands outside the Manchester City stadium.
The sculpture is a prominent feature on the city skyline and is visible from trains leaving Manchester Piccadilly station for Stockport, and was inspired by a quote from the sprinter Lindford Christie, who said he started races "not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'". To me it looks like the glorious cartoon explosion that its name suggests.
Last October I finally made a trip out to see it up close and take some pictures. Disappointingly the sculpture was fenced off, which I found out later was due to safety concerns - some of its enormous steel spikes had come loose shortly after completion in 2005. But it was still an impressive sight and it's sad to hear that it will be taken down, in spite of all the controversy over the cost and other issues that seem to plague public artworks in Britain.
It's not clear when the B of the Bang will be taken down so it's probably worth a trip out there now if you want to see it before it goes. The council have said that the sculpture could be reinstated if the technical problems with the spikes are overcome (for example, replacing them with new ones made from lighter weight materials) however they are unwilling to spend more public funds on it now.
I guess that's fair enough, but I for one will miss its spectacular presence on the Manchester skyline when it's gone and the view is a little less interesting.
1 comment:
Sorry to hear they're dismantling it! Maybe one day it will return to its former glory?
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