Wednesday, September 20, 2017

News: Artwork to replace Tinsley Towers

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New artworks that celebrate Rotherham and Sheffield's shared industrial heritage are being proposed for the area close to where the iconic Tinsley cooling towers once stood.

Proposals from commissioned artist, Alex Chinneck include a family of four sculptural, red brick chimneys that border, bridge and illuminate the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, each stretching up to 30 metres tall.

Onwards & Upwards is a sculptural trail linking Sheffield and Rotherham that can be enjoyed by foot, bike or boat. It is set to be created close to E.ON's biomass power plant at Blackburn Meadows where linkages between the city and town are being improved through the £20m Tinsley Link Road and the £100m tram train scheme.

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Artist Alex Chinneck said: "Through a process of architectural re-introduction, sculptural re-imagination and modern manufacturing, we have attempted to create a regionally relevant and nationally significant cultural attraction."

Partners on the three-year project include Sheffield Council, Rotherham Council, Tinsley Forum and Arts Council England, together with sponsors E.ON, who awarded the commission to replace the towers that were demolished in 2008.

Major sponsors are British Land, the co-owner of neighbouring Meadowhall, landowners Yorkshire Water and the Canal and River Trust, and Sheffield Cultural Consortium and Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. Together, they are working towards the project's completion in summer 2019.

Following on from initial investment in the project by E.ON, further money has been pledged from the private sector (British Land and IKEA) to support the delivery of this once-in-a-generation cultural project.

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Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said: "We are very proud to be supporting this important initiative. Awe-inspiring and thought provoking in equal measure, Alex's work will bring a great deal to the community. This is a very exciting installation in a very important and prominent location."

Cllr. Taiba Yasseen, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and cultural services at Rotherham Council, said: "These astonishing new artworks celebrate Rotherham and Sheffield's shared industrial heritage and connects this to our contemporary engineering and manufacturing industries.

"This imaginative project will encourage residents and visitors alike to enjoy the canal-side walk between Rotherham's town centre and Meadowhall. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to have work by artist Alex Chinneck, with his outstanding reputation for innovation and excellence, right here on our doorstep."

Plans are still progressing for The Yorkshire Man of Steel which includes an ambitious 32 metre stainless steel sculpture and an innovative Information Hub and Observation Tower to be built on a former landfill site in Rotherham.

Onwards & Upwards website

Images: Alex Chinneck


1 comments:

Nigel Simpson,  September 20, 2017 at 9:30 PM  

Is this some kind of sad joke?
Or enforcing a depressed stereotype.
Perhaps a reminder of the blitz!

How can erecting a derelict site, even with mood lighting,
help with a modern image of Rotherham and Sheffield?

This is more than the "emperor's new clothes"
More, he's wearing grandmas torn bloomers!

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