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B of the Bang

Coordinates: 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″W / 53.48194°N 2.19611°W / 53.48194; -2.19611
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B of the Bang
ArtistThomas Heatherwick
Year2005
LocationBeswick, Manchester, England

B of the Bang is a sculpture in Manchester, England, located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity. Commissioned to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games, It is one of the tallest structures in the City of Manchester, was briefly the largest sculpture in the UK. It is taller and leans at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It takes its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie in which he said that he started his races not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'.

The sculpture was commissioned in 2003, and construction was completed by 2005, having overrun in both time and money. Even before it was unveiled, the sculpture suffered structural problems as the tip of a spike fell off, with another spike falling off a year later. Legal action started a year later, resulting in an out-of-court settlement refunding the cost of the sculpture. The future of the sculpture is currently uncertain, with the city council considering dismantling it.

Design

B of the Bang

The B of the Bang is 56 metres (184 ft) tall[1] and has 180 hollow tapered steel columns or spikes radiating from a central point. It is angled at 30 degrees,[2] and is supported by five 25 m (82 ft) long, heavy steel tapered legs,[3][4] which connect to the spikes 22 m (72 ft) above the ground. The sculpture weighs 165 tonnes,[5] with the concrete in the foundations weighing over 1,000 tonnes,[6] including a 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft) reinforced concrete slab.[7] The foundations are 20 m (66 ft) deep.[6] The sculpture was made from the same weathering steel as the Angel of the North sculpture, and gradually changed to a rusty colour as it was exposed to the weather. However, it will not corrode, nor rust internally. The sculpture sways slightly in the wind,[8] and can withstand gusts in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h).[6] There is a time capsule in the centre of the sculpture containing children's poems and paintings, due to be opened circa 2300.[9]

The sculpture is located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity, in Beswick, at the corner of Alan Turing Way and Ashton New Road,[10][11] at coordinates 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″W / 53.48194°N 2.19611°W / 53.48194; -2.19611. It takes its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie in which he said that he started his races not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'.[3] The structure has been nicknamed KerPlunk by the locals after the popular children's game from the 1970s.[1]

Prior to the construction of Aspire at the University of Nottingham, B of the Bang was Britain's tallest sculpture at twice the height of the Angel of the North's[11] 66 feet (20 m). It was designed to look like an exploding firework,[1] and is taller and leans at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.[3] It was commissioned by New East Manchester Limited to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[2] The design was selected by a panel consisting of both local residents and art experts via a competition in 2002,[8] and was designed by Thomas Heatherwick.[10]

Construction

The sculpture was constructed in Sheffield[2] by Thomas Heatherwick Studio, Packman Lucas, Flint and Neill and Westbury Structures.[12] It was approved at the start of 2003.[10] The central core arrived in Manchester on the 13 June 2004;[2] this was the largest load that could be transferred via road from the factory, and required a police escort.[6] The main part of the sculpture was lifted into place in August 2004. It was officially unveiled on 12 January 2005 by Linford Christie.[1] It was supposed to be finished by July 2003, but was delayed during construction. As a result it was dubbed The G of the Bang.[11]

It cost £1.42 million to design and construct[7]—twice the original estimate[11] as that neglected installation costs[13]—with the North West Development Agency contributing £500,000 and the local council providing another £120,000,[8] with the rest from various other sources.

The tip of one of the 2.1 m (6.9 ft) spikes fell off on the 6 January 2005. At the time the sculpture was closed off to the public, and the junction and pathway near the sculpture were temporarily closed afterwards.[14][15] As a result some of the joints were re-welded, with equipment put in place to stop the spikes moving.[16] Another spike had to be cut off by firefighters in May 2005 after it was discovered hanging loose.[15]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to B of the Bang.

In 2006 another of the spikes fell off, resulting in a total of nine spikes being removed.[17] The sculpture was also fenced off. In October 2007 it was announced that Manchester City Council were taking legal action against the makers of the sculpture, with the aim of completing the necessary repairs to the sculpture.[12]

In November 2008 an out of court settlement was reached between Manchester City Council, the project's designers Thomas Heatherwick Studio Ltd, and the engineering and construction subcontractors Packman Lucas Ltd, Flint and Neill Partnership and Westbury Structures Ltd to pay the council £1.7m in damages for breach of contract and negligence. [18]

The City Council is to consider a report in January 2009 which may recommend that the B of the Bang should be dismantled.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "'Bang' sculpture goes on display". BBC News. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d "'Bang' sculpture arrives in city". BBC News. 13 June 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  3. ^ a b c "'Bang' sculpture put into place". BBC News. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  4. ^ "B of the Bang — Official site". Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  5. ^ "B of the Bang — official site — FAQ — How heavy?". Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d "B of the Bang: Engineering". Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  7. ^ a b Keller, Sinéad (12 January 2005). "A whole lot of B for the Bang". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  8. ^ a b c "It cost £1.4m — but it's going to go rusty". Manchester Evening News. 6 June 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  9. ^ "I've seen the B of the Bang sculpture". CBBC Newsround. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  10. ^ a b c "Plans for tallest sculpture approved". BBC News. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  11. ^ a b c d Osuh, Chris (12 November 2004). "Now it's G of the Bang". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  12. ^ Keegan, Mike (24 October 2007). "B of the botch". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  13. ^ "'Bang' sculpture spike falls off". BBC News. 6 January 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  14. ^ a b "'Bang' sculpture in fresh scare". BBC News. 20 May 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  15. ^ "'Bang' sculpture in safety scare". BBC News. 7 March 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  16. ^ "Spikes taken off Bang sculpture". BBC News. 15 May 2006. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  17. ^ "B of Bang set for scrap". Manchester Evening News. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.


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