User:Steve Mehdi/Gateway sculpture for The Sheffield City Region

Gateway Sculpture for the Sheffield City Region ...

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Man of Steel is a 40 metre high stainless steel sculpture proposed for the Sheffield City Region and designed by Sheffield based sculptor Steve Mehdi. The sculpture embodies the generations of workers who passed through numerous factory gates and left their mark and their memories on the landscape.

Enshrined in a mantle of steel and coal it is an icon of a former age, and a catalyst for a new one. It looks inward, contemplating the past, but looks out on an ever changing landscape of technology and invention.

 

Steel, Coal and Technology

Steel making and coal mining have taken place in South Yorkshire since the 1700’s. Smaller enterprises and workshops were carrying out their trade from the 15th century and even earlier. Coal and steel became an almost inseparable development, one providing fuel for the other. Many generations of families spent their entire working lives in these two industries. The region expanded rapidly throughout the 19th & 20th century, but the last 30 years has seen a decline. Coal mining has all but disappeared and the big steel employers of the past have gone or merged in a bid to survive the turbulent changes they faced. Now a new generation of engineering materials companies and technology industries are forging ahead, specialising in producing high quality products for an international market.

The Cooling Towers

In 1921 Sheffield Corporation commissioned a power station on the edge of Blackburn Meadows, helping to provide energy to the steel industry. Originally there were seven cooling towers on the site, but after the station closed in 1980 only two remained. These 76 meter giants were known locally as ‘the salt and pepper pots’. Their appearance divided opinion but they were held in great affection. In August 2008 E-On demolished the cooling towers to build a bio-mass renewable energy plant and pledged £500000 towards a public work of art. Several suggestions were put forward in the following year, including a stainless football, and a modern version of the towers.

Man of Steel statistics

• 40 meters high (twice the height of the Angel of the North in Gateshead) • Made from stainless steel • Designed and built in Sheffield • Stand on a former landfill site in an area of regeneration overlooking the M1 on the Rotherham border with Sheffield. • Become an iconic gateway and a catalyst for future development in the Sheffield City Region.

 

Man of Steel in the community

Man of Steel will engage with the community across the region. It will reference and embody the generations of men and women over three centuries who passed through numerous factory gates and gave their working lives to produce goods from the pre-dawn of the industrial revolution, through two world wars, into the present. This legacy is alive today and the current workforce has adapted fast to the new technology industries that have replaced many of the traditional working environments.

Man of Steel in education

Education packs aimed at different age groups will be available to all schools in the area, explaining the story behind Man of Steel, the industrial history of the region and the engineering science behind the project itself. It will also cover the transition of conventional industries in the late 20th century and the technology industries moving in to the region, such as Boeing, Rolls Royce, Siemens, etc. This educational resource will be developed to inform and inspire the next generation of manufacturers and engineers growing up in the area.

The Angel of the North, Gateshead

There can be few people who have not heard of the Angel of the North. The publicity and popularity surrounding this iconic sculpture continues to attract comment and appreciation many years after it first appeared. Gateshead Council, who commissioned the 20 meter sculpture on a former colliery site in the region, have documented the benefits since it was built and they have estimated it has helped to secure many cultural milestones such as the Gateshead Millennium Bridge at a cost of £22 million, the Baltic Exchange, at a cost of £47 million, and The Sage Gateshead, at a cost of £70 million. In all, it is estimated that around £600 million has been invested in the region since the Angel first appeared in 1998. (Anna Pepperall, Head Curator, Gateshead Council.)   A Legacy for the Future

Man of Steel will be visible to thousands of commuters daily and become a major visitor destination. The project will undoubtedly attract wide media attention and act as a catalyst to new business in the region as well as defining the ‘Made in Sheffield’ brand.

2013

2013 marks the centenary of Harry Brearley’s invention of stainless steel. Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry would like to see this remarkable occasion celebrated with Man of Steel spearheading the next Global Manufacturing Festival in the same year.

Support for the Gateway Sculpture

Support for the sculpture includes; Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rotherham Metroplitan Borough Council, Sheffield Hallam University, Mott MacDonald, Axis Architects, Sheffield Forgemasters, Outukumpu Distribution, Tool Steel & Products, MIS Group, and many more.