Massive sculpture for river bank

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/tyne/8099363.stm

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A massive stainless steel sculpture is set to become a prominent feature on the banks of the River Tyne.

Two cranes lifted the 30ft (10m) high structure, entitled Swirl, into position at Baltic Place on the Gateshead quayside on Sunday.

The artwork is made up of polished stainless steel to reflect the river.

It was designed by North East scupltor Colin Rose, who created it with a team of engineers from Aycliffe Fabrications.

The work was commissioned by Robertson Group and City and Northern, the developers of a £30m office development, next to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

Colin Rose said that is was "incredibly exciting" to see it put in place.

"It has been a long, intense process to create the ideas and see them through all the stages from proposal to fabrication," he said.

"I developed the work by observing the nature and location of the site over many visits.

"Swirl represents a vortex, a central point for both traffic and people visiting the development.

"Its winding form also reminds you of the tidal currents and breezy weather that characterise riverfront locations."