Surreal chimneys to replace Tinsley Towers
City may get giant dose of the flue to replace famous towers as Yorkshire’s answer to Angel of the North
ARTIST ALEX Chinneck has today unveiled plans for the biggest ever public art in Yorkshire, which is set to be the region’s answer to the Angel of the North.
The 32-year-old was commissioned to create an artwork to stand as a reminder of the famous Tinsley Towers, which were demolished almost 10 years ago to make way for a new biomass plant. For the last 12 months, he has been delving into the area’s industrial past and talking to those who lived in the shadow of the towers to come up with a new artistic blueprint for the area. The result is Onwards and Upwards, which will see five giant chimneys spring up by the side of the M1 motorway near Sheffield’s Meadowhall.
Built from red brick, one of the planned chimneys looks as though it has been tied in a knot and the top of another appears to be suspended in thin air. Mr Chinneck, who has form when it comes to creating surreal works of art, said: “I wanted to celebrate the industrial heritage of this part of Yorkshire, but I also wanted to create something that would make people smile.
“Over the last year I have spent a lot of time wandering along the canal.
“It is a beautiful green space, but at the moment it is underused and I hope that this sculpture trail will give people an added reason to visit. The designs are done, the support is there. Now we just have to build the things.”
Given that the structures will all require feats of engineering, that may be easier said than done. However, Mr Chinneck is confident his dream can be realised and hopes to complete the ambitious trail in 2019.
HIS PREVIOUS works have included an upside-down electric pylon, a building which appears to float in mid-air and a house made out of 7,500 wax bricks.
So when Alex Chinneck was given the task of designing Yorkshire’s biggest ever public work of art to replace the iconic Tinsley Towers, he was never going to opt for the obvious.
Given a site on the outskirts of Sheffield, close to the now demolished towers, as his blank canvas, the 32-year-old has spent the last 12 months researching possible options. The result is Onwards and Upwards, a series of 90ft red brick chimneys, which have already caused sleepless nights for a team of structural engineers.
While they are made of the same red bricks as a thousand other industrial chimneys, the final designs for the £500,000 project show that one appears to have cracked into 250 pieces, another looks as if it is floating in mid-air and two more have bent over to form a bridge across the water. Most surreal of all, the final chimney on the trail appears to have been tied in a knot.
Mr Chinneck said: “This is Sheffield, so the most obvious thing would have been to create something massive out of stainless steel, but that felt far too simple. I came here with a completely open mind. I wanted the idea for the artwork to take shape while I spent time talking to people and finding out about the area’s past. I kicked lots of ideas around, but when I saw some old photographs showing the factories with these great big chimneys that once lined the canalside, that’s when I had my Eureka moment.”
Determined that the works will embrace the historic Made in Sheffield branding, it is hoped many of the materials and the engineering expertise will come from the city. Illustrator Ella Worthington, a Sheffield Hallam University graduate, has created the first artist impressions, drone-specialists Fleye has already completed a survey of the site and local firms will be invited to take part in the tendering process.
Mr Chinneck added: “Tinsley has a proud and important industrial heritage and these chimneys feel like a reflection of that. Their inner core will be made from stainless steel and I like that, because steel is also at the very heart of South Yorkshire.” As a taster to the big reveal, one of Mr Chinneck’s previous works featuring an upside down car was brought to Tinsley last week and has so far attracted 5,000 visitors. The hope is that as well as giving local residents a reason to walk the waterway, the chimneys will also become a tourist attraction in their own right.
Coun Mary Lea, the cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure at Sheffield City Council, said: “Alex’s proposal is truly born of the place, knitting together its fascinating past and present. We hope this permanent sculpture will be embraced by the community and enjoyed by people far and wide.”
The project, due for completion in 2019, is a partnership between Sheffield City Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Tinsley Forum, Arts Council England, with sponsors E.ON.
Tinsley has a proud and important industrial heritage Sculptor Alex Chinneck of his plans for Onwards and Upwards.
IT PROMISES to be the biggest public work of art that Yorkshire has ever seen and represents an opportunity to symbolically welcome visitors to the county in the same way that the Angel of the North does for the North East.
Artist Alex Chinneck has unveiled his ambitious blueprint for the artwork on the former location of Sheffield’s Tinsley cooling towers which were visible from the M1 until their demolition a decade ago.
The site will soon be home to four giant chimneys. Standing 90ft tall, one will appear to be cracked, another looks as though it is floating, a third will form a bridge and the fourth will appear to be tied in a knot in a considerable feat of engineering.
Not only will these towers celebrate this county’s industrial heritage, but they will demonstrate that the Yorkshire of today is open for business and well and truly on the map.