Aspire (sculpture)
Encyclopedia
Aspire is a work of art, constructed on the Jubilee Campus of the University of Nottingham
, in Nottingham
, England
. It is a 60-metre tall, red and orange steel sculpture, and is the tallest free standing public work of art in the United Kingdom
, taller than B of the Bang
, Nelson's Column
, the Angel of the North
and (excluding the pedestal) the Statue of Liberty
. Designed by Ken Shuttleworth and MAKE Architects
, it comprises an 8m concrete foundation and 52m red and orange steel tower. The sculpture weighs 854 tonne
s, and cost £800,000, which was donated by an anonymous benefactor. The name Aspire was chosen after a competition to name the sculpture, which was open to staff and students at the university.
The structure was fabricated by Watson Steel Structures Ltd in Bolton
, Greater Manchester
, and was then transported to Widnes
, Cheshire
, where Merseyside Coatings Ltd applied the distinctive red and orange colour scheme.
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a 60-metre tall, red and orange steel sculpture, and is the tallest free standing public work of art in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, taller than B of the Bang
B of the Bang
B of the Bang was a sculpture designed by Thomas Heatherwick, in Manchester, England, located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity...
, Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian...
, the Angel of the North
Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead,formerly County Durham, England.It is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing tall, with wings measuring across...
and (excluding the pedestal) the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. Designed by Ken Shuttleworth and MAKE Architects
MAKE Architects
Make Architects is an architectural practice based in the United Kingdom founded by Ken Shuttleworth after he left Foster and Partners in 2003. They have offices in London, Birmingham, Beijing, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the practice is currently engaged in projects worldwide ranging from high rise...
, it comprises an 8m concrete foundation and 52m red and orange steel tower. The sculpture weighs 854 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, and cost £800,000, which was donated by an anonymous benefactor. The name Aspire was chosen after a competition to name the sculpture, which was open to staff and students at the university.
The structure was fabricated by Watson Steel Structures Ltd in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, and was then transported to Widnes
Widnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, where Merseyside Coatings Ltd applied the distinctive red and orange colour scheme.