25 October 2006
Northern Way funds iconic public art programme
The Northern Way today announced it is investing £4.4million in iconic works of art as part of an innovative £13million cultural programme across the North.
The Welcome to the North programme (part of the Northern Way's Market the North to the World investment priority) is a unique programme that will see a small number of major pieces of art positioned at key gateways across the North - and is the first time in the UK that such an ambitious public arts programme has been carried out on such a scale.
The Northern Way is investing in the works of art to enhance the North's image and help change people's perceptions. As well as raising the profile of the North and increasing tourism and economic growth, the Northern Way believes the public arts programme will also improve its quality of place.
The artworks have all been chosen because of their high quality and iconic potential - and because as a whole they combine to form a coherent body of art.
They include:
• Halo - East Lancashire
The Northern Way has invested £153,000 towards the lighting and other strategic costs of delivering Halo - an 18m-diameter, permanent circular steel structure, which will be raised seven metres off the ground on a tripod. Halo is one of a series of 21st century landmarks (Panopticons) at high-point sites across East Lancashire that aims to symbolise the renaissance of the area.
• Turning the Place Over - Liverpool
£300,000 of Northern Way investment will pay for the production and temporary installation of Richard Wilson's most ambitious and radical intervention into architecture to date. Wilson proposes to turn a building in Liverpool's city centre 'inside out' as a part of the façade of the former Yates' Wine Lodge rotates within and outside the building. A co-commission with Liverpool Culture Company, the project will herald in the city"s year as Capital of Culture in 2008.
• A Sound and Light Transit - Leeds
£646,000 of Northern Way investment will contribute to deliver a permanent sound and light installation by Bauman Lyons Architects and artist Hans Peter Kuhn, commissioned by Leeds City Council and with monies from Yorkshire Forward. The installation will be an integrated feature of the upgrade and refurbishment of Neville Street, and is part of a larger £4.5million environmental improvement scheme to upgrade the key southern entrance gateway to Leeds. The sound installation has been jointly developed by Hans Peter Kuhn and Arup Acoustics.
• Another Place - Crosby
£1million of Northern Way investment will contribute to keeping Antony Gormley's major artwork sited on the foreshore at Crosby in the North West. Another Place, which comprises 100 cast-iron life-size statues, has already won three major regeneration and tourism awards and has attracted 300,000 visitors with a £3million impact on the local economy.
NB: This offer is time limited, conditional on securing additional funding and the relevant planning permission.
As part of the programme, two more artworks have been approved and details will be announced at a later date.
The programme is being funded by The Northern Way - a unique collaboration led by the three Regional Development Agencies (Yorkshire Forward, One NorthEast and Northwest Regional Development Agency), Arts Council England, the three northern Cultural Consortia and other partners.
Neville Chamberlain, Chairman of The Northern Way, said: "It has been shown that iconic art, such as the Angel of the North or the B of the Bang, has a positive impact on the local economy.
"By improving our cultural offer, we hope to increase positive perceptions of the North, both nationally and internationally. It is these qualities that ultimately attract skilled people, entrepreneurs, investors and tourists - and also improve the quality of place for people living here."
More information about the Welcome to the North programme and the Market the North to the World investment priority is available on the Northern Way's web site www.thenorthernway.co.uk
Ends
Notes to editors:
The Northern Way is a unique collaboration led by the three Northern Regional Development Agencies (One NorthEast, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Yorkshire Forward) working with partners including Arts Council England to close the £30 billion output gap between the North and the average for England over a 25 year period.
With a population of 14.5 million the North is equivalent to a medium-sized country (such as Sweden) with a large internal market. Its economy is worth in excess of £200 billion.
The North has undergone a period of revival over the last decade. Its economy is now stronger than at any time in the last 40 years and employment is at a post war high. Local authorities and RDAs have led the revitalisation of our regions, cities, towns and local communities.
The Northern Way's submission to Government for the Comprehensive Spending Review 07 and a number of documents outlining the supporting evidence is available to download from its new site - www.thenorthernway.co.uk - within the Publications and Documents section.
For further information contact Gardiner Richardson:
Sarah Banks or Sharron Ashurst on 0191 261 4250 or
sarahb@gardiner-richardson.com / sharrona@gardiner-richardson.com