Angel of the North

...It was to present an angel figure with arms/wings outspread, constructed from steel but, unlike the statue of Christ the Redeemer, it would be featureless - more of an idealised representation in very simple form.

While the steel sections were being made by Hartlepool Steel Fabrications, the foundations were being laid: this involved inserting concrete piles twenty metres deep into the ground to anchor it. Hartlepool Steel Fabrications ...
...but it is the largest angel statue in the world. The statistics behind it are quite remarkable. There is enough steel in it to make 16 double decker buses and at 54 metres (175 feet) it's wingspan is larger than that of a Boeing 757! It weighs 200 tonnes and stands at 20 metres (65 feet) high. Some sections were so large they had to be transported to the site from Hartlepool with a police escort - I think this is quite fitting for something so special.
more

Gateshead - a town in north east England with a population of 191,151. Twinned with Komatsu City in Japan, St. Etienne de Rouvray in France and Rio de Janeiro...hold on a minute! What was that you said? A grim once-industrial but now defunct town in northern England is twinned with one of the world's most exciting and glamorous cities? Surely not!

OK, so I lied about Rio, but think how marvellous it would be for school children to get to visit Brazil on exchange trips. And wouldn't Tyneside businessmen be queueing up for the opportunity to do some networking at a hotel overlooking Copacabana Beach!

Curious as it may seem, the two places do have something in common. Not the weather, not the thrilling rhythms of samba filling the streets and certainly not scantily clad ladies parading up and down the beach but a colossal statue!

The Statue of Christ the Redeemer which stands on the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro and protectively overlooks the city was built between 1926 and 1931. The statue stands at 30 metres (100 feet) tall and it is covered in a mosiac of soapstone; the Corcovado on which it stands is 710 metres (2,400 feet) high.
It is one of the world's most famous sights and is one of the first things people think of when they think of Brazil or more specifically Rio de Janeiro.

The "Angel of the North" is the result of a competition; Gateshead Council invited artists to present designs for a piece which would stand close to the A1 which would be seen by drivers as they approached Tyneside from the south. They chose Anthony Gormley's immense proposal and construction began in September 1997. It was to present an angel figure with arms/wings outspread, constructed from steel but, unlike the statue of Christ the Redeemer, it would be featureless - more of an idealised representation in very simple form.

While the steel sections were being made by Hartlepool Steel Fabrications, the foundations were being laid: this involved inserting concrete piles twenty metres deep into the ground to anchor it. Hartlepool Steel Fabrications also renovated the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge - you may be familar with this structure as it was fictitiously dismantled and transported to be re-assembled in Arizona in the last series of "Auf Wiedersehen Pet".

Not only is it the largest statue in Britain but it is the largest angel statue in the world. The statistics behind it are quite remarkable. There is enough steel in it to make 16 double decker buses and at 54 metres (175 feet) it's wingspan is larger than that of a Boeing 757! It weighs 200 tonnes and stands at 20 metres (65 feet) high. Some sections were so large they had to be transported to the site from Hartlepool with a police escort - I think this is quite fitting for something so special.

The "Angel of the North" is very special to me. After three years at university in Leicester, I moved to London for about five years and it was during this time that the "Angel" appeared. It's a long journey home when you have to use the A1 - much of it north of Leeds is single or dual carriageway when it should really be motorway and this means that the journey takes longer than it should. When you finally do get close to home the sight of the "Angel" is a very welcome one.

Talking about the "angel, the artist said pointed out that the wings ae at a slight angle so that instead of merely sticking out at right angles, they tilt down slightly which gives an impression of encompassing and welcoming and, when I re-assessed, I could appreciate this. It is a small point but one which does alter the image.

The "Angel of the North" could appear stark and industrial. After all it is built on the site of old mine and it's primary material is undoubtedly industrial. It could also follow in the footsteps of other pieces of public art and try to embody something of the area's heritage. However, the "Angel" is much more than a monument to more prosperous times. It could also be seen as a symbol of the reputed warmth of Geordies - always said to be more friendly than southerners!

What is it that stops the "Angel" from looking just like another modern art installation and why is it that it looks softer and more gentle than it's material might suggest?

Partly it is the subject matter - after all angels are benvolent beings, full of kindness and love - but it is also the colour. This may not seem trivial but the "Angel" is constructed from a specially treated steel called "Cor-ten"; it is weather resistant and has copper added to it which gives it that warm, burnished colour.

Although the "Angel" stands close to the A1 and just as the residential area of Gateshead begins, it is also close to woodland area so that if seen from the fields, it looks as if it's growing from the trees. This, too, gives it an unworldly aura which detracts from the expanse of metal and instead lends a fairytale feel like a giant emerging from a forest.

Gateshead Council claim that "The Angel of the North" is one of most seen pieces of art in the world - around 33 million people a year see it - that's roughly one person every second. As well as the drivers who see it, it's also one of the sights seen by passengers on the east coast mainline between Edinburgh and London. About 150,000 people actually stop to go to the "Angel" up close.

I have been to see the "Angel" up close a couple of times and each time there were quite a number of people there - locals and people from further afield. It is obvious from a distance that this statue is big but you can't appreciate just how big until you are close to it although despite it's great height, it still maintains that gentle, non-threatening feeling.

It is fantastic to touch, having a kind of hammered feel, and on hot days it retains the sun's warmth. You are quite welcome to touch. This is art for everyone - young and old alike and the "Angel" is crying out to be touched. The feet form a natural place to sit and even an adult can nestle snugly in between it's "toes".

The statue sits atop a high-ish mound flat on one side so that if you approach from one direction you cannot see the "Angel" until you have climbed the hill. There's not really anything here other than the statue. In summer there's an ice-cream van but that's it. There's a pub across the road which is quite pleasant and are usually OK with visitors to the "Angel" using the toilets".

Naturally Gateshead Council are very proud of their statue, as they are of all the other pieces of public art they have commissioned. The programme of public art began in the late 1980s and there are now interesting and striking pieces exhibited all over the borough of Gateshead. The "Angel's" creator, Anthony Gormley, despite coming from London, is now a household name in the north-east because of this sculpture and the amazing "Domain Field" work which was recently exhibited for several months (an exhibition which was extended because of it's popularity) at the flagship of Gatehead's arts programme, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

While Gormley is well-known now to people who might not previously have had much interest in the visual arts, this does not necessarily mean that all the talk is favourable. Indeed, in the early days, while the "Angel" was under construction or had just been completed, the local press was full of letters from indignant locals who thought that it was a terrible eyesore and a waste of public money. Many people I know who, at first, did not like the "Angel" (my father included) are now admirers of this kindly giant.

Love it or loathe it, the "Angel" has certainly grabbed the attention of pople in the region. Magpies supporters proved that they had taken it to their hearts by risking life and limb to drape it with an over-sized Newcastle United football shirt and recently anti-hunt protesters draped a banner over it to put across their message.

If you're passing, be sure to give our "Angel" a wave. We may not have the pull of golden beaches and bronzed bikini clad girls but we do have a fantastic statue. We have our own guardian angel and it serves us well!

Directions

By road from the south - from A1M, take the exit for the A167 (for Gateshead south), about a mile after Washington Services. At the roundabout take the A167 turn off and the "Angel of the North" is on your left with parking close by.

By road from the north (A1) - going south on the Western bypass - continue past Newcastle and Gateshead. Take the road marked Wrekenton and Birtley and continue to the big roundabout and take the A167 for Gateshead south. The Angel site is on your left.

By road from central Gateshead - head south down Durham Road (A167) and through Low Fell until you come to a dual carriageway and carry on south until you hit the main roundabout and take the exit back on yourself towards Gateshead south.

By bus - from Gateshead Interchange, take any bus bound for Birtley/Durham which all pass by the site.

Further information on the artist -

www.antonygormley.com

 

...less