‘New B of the Bang’ could be a real beauty says city chief
30 May 2013 18:56
Sir Richard Leese insisted the latest move is not a waste of money and stood by the town hall’s record on public art
Manchester council's leader has defended plans for a £340,000 ‘new’ B of the Bang – claiming the original was very successful.
Sir Richard Leese insisted the latest move is not a waste of money and stood by the town hall’s record on public art.
The M.E.N. revealed how the multi-million pound vision for a sporting mecca around Eastlands will include a new taxpayer-funded sculpture. The project is being masterminded by the council, Manchester City and regeneration firm New East Manchester.
A nationally or even internationally renowned artist is being sought to design the monument, set to be the centrepiece of the new Etihad Campus.
It will effectively replace the ill-fated B of the Bang – dismantled in 2009 after bits of the £2m metal artwork fell off.
Manchester Council leader Sir Richard Leese
Eventually the council took the designer to court over the fiasco, clawing back £1.7m of the cost after a lengthy legal battle.
Sir Richard said the original B of the Bang was ‘very successful and very beautiful’, adding: “The faults were not aesthetic faults, because I think it looked absolutely spectacular and I would love to have it back. The council is not at fault for those engineering faults.”
He also pointed to the ‘tree of remembrance’ in Piccadilly Gardens as an example of town hall-commissioned artwork – and said an £80,000 marble obelisk, built in Market Street during the 1990s but later removed to Crumpsall park after complaints, is now much-loved.
The council’s executive meeting also heard from New East Manchester boss Eddie Smith, who said Manchester City itself would also be paying for its own public artwork as part of the project. He also stressed that the new publicly-funded sculpture would be paid for using a grant earmarked for new artwork.
But Lib Dem leader Simon Wheale said he planned to ask the government if restrictions on the use of the money could be lifted. He added: “I’d be astonished if people in Beswick thought this was the priority for £340,000.”
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30 May 2013 18:56
Sir Richard Leese insisted the latest move is not a waste of money and stood by the town hall’s record on public art
Manchester council's leader has defended plans for a £340,000 ‘new’ B of the Bang – claiming the original was very successful.
Sir Richard Leese insisted the latest move is not a waste of money and stood by the town hall’s record on public art.
The M.E.N. revealed how the multi-million pound vision for a sporting mecca around Eastlands will include a new taxpayer-funded sculpture. The project is being masterminded by the council, Manchester City and regeneration firm New East Manchester.
A nationally or even internationally renowned artist is being sought to design the monument, set to be the centrepiece of the new Etihad Campus.
It will effectively replace the ill-fated B of the Bang – dismantled in 2009 after bits of the £2m metal artwork fell off.
Manchester Council leader Sir Richard Leese
Eventually the council took the designer to court over the fiasco, clawing back £1.7m of the cost after a lengthy legal battle.
Sir Richard said the original B of the Bang was ‘very successful and very beautiful’, adding: “The faults were not aesthetic faults, because I think it looked absolutely spectacular and I would love to have it back. The council is not at fault for those engineering faults.”
He also pointed to the ‘tree of remembrance’ in Piccadilly Gardens as an example of town hall-commissioned artwork – and said an £80,000 marble obelisk, built in Market Street during the 1990s but later removed to Crumpsall park after complaints, is now much-loved.
The council’s executive meeting also heard from New East Manchester boss Eddie Smith, who said Manchester City itself would also be paying for its own public artwork as part of the project. He also stressed that the new publicly-funded sculpture would be paid for using a grant earmarked for new artwork.
But Lib Dem leader Simon Wheale said he planned to ask the government if restrictions on the use of the money could be lifted. He added: “I’d be astonished if people in Beswick thought this was the priority for £340,000.”
Link