THE controversial B of the Bang sculpture is shedding MORE spikes.
About a dozen pieces of metal measuring up to 32ft were being removed as part of the ongoing battle to make the £1.4m structure safe. The first lane of Ashton New Road at the base of the 184ft sculpture, outside Sportcity, had to be closed to allow engineers access.
The decision to remove the spikes comes as a court case looms over who is to blame for a series of blunders that have left a question mark over the sculpture's future.
The council is suing the makers for £2m and has lodged papers with the High Court.
Last October, chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein said the four companies involved in creating the structure - designers Thomas Heatherwick Studio and subcontractors Packman Lucas, Westbury Structures and Flint and Neil Partnership - had been given `every chance' to come to an agreement.
Town hall chiefs have accused them of breach of contract and negligence. A hearing is due in October, although negotiations are continuing.
It remains unclear if the sculpture, built to celebrate the 2002 Commonwealth Games, can ever be made secure.
The new work is the latest twist in a saga that has run since B of the Bang overran its planned completion date of July 2003. An official opening ceremony was not held until January 2005. A week earlier, one of the 180 spikes had fallen off.
In May 2005, firefighters removed a second spike. Project leader Nader Mokhtari said at the time there was a `potential problem' with 53 of the spikes. Nine were removed.
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It's time this ugly thing came down. I think it would have looked great painted gold or silver but it's an ugly rustbucket and looks even worse now with several spikes chopped off. The pavement under it has been fenced off for years, showing how unsafe it is. The money could have been spent on something better.
Shambles, absolute shambles. I hope nobody made any money out this ugly mistake.
It looks like a rusty lump of junk and it should all be removed. What an absolute waste of money and an absolute eyesore - I've seen better "art" on the local landfill!
Do something useful with it. Weigh it in and put it in the scrap
if we are going to keep this old rust bucket, then it needs a good clean up first.
the industrial sculptures at the entrance to TRAFFORD Park are superb,they really do reflect what they intended to signify, and they have the correct paint on as well, rust free and it glistens in the rain, jet black and sturdy.
our B of the bang is rather pathetic when put along side that.
clean it up, make it safe and open the area up to the public.
pleaseeeeeeeeeee !!!!!
I personally don't mind the rust - that is what is was intended to look like after all. Most people don't see the colour anyway, or don't notice it, as they drive past. What is a problem is the endless saga and cost of this whole sorry affair. Either fix it or take it down, don't just leave it up with half its spikes missing and a fence around it for years. Can't someone in the council take decisive action, because at the moment it's an embarrassment to Manchester.
an uter waste of taxpayers money, weigh it in and and give the money to charity!!!
oh and sack the people who thought up the idea!!!
Just demolish it now - how much more money is going to be thrown at this eye sore?!
Is this an April Fool's joke? You can never tell with modern art since it is one big joke and neither use nor ornament.
Quote:
"It remains unclear if the sculpture, built to celebrate the 2002 Commonwealth Games, can ever be made secure."
Unless they encase it in concrete and call it: "Porcupine in a Paper Bag" the answer is NO!
I would like tom heatherwick to make that statement again,When i first did a TV interview about the band he said that we in east manchester was scared of change? Now he knows why.because people like him come to the area and built things like this .hehehehe the sooner they scrap it the better.And then this will be something of the past and best forgotten...And lets look to the future without this monster scrap.
A monstrosity - if it needs a clean, get some of these dole scroungers onto it! Its about time they worked for their money!
It's slowly but surely becoming more like the P of the Pop than the B of the Bang.When it was first built I thought it was pretty impressive but now it's nothing more than a big expensive joke.Bite the bullet,admit it was a mistake and pull the thing down.
Methinks this is an April Fools :0)
It's time the council woke up and removed the whole structure. It is a danger to the public and it seems to have been missing parts of it's structure all of it's life. Remove it now and get 'our' money back with compensation and court costs paid!!!
P.S. Stop ordering overpriced rubbish at the tax payers expense and invest it wisely!!
It wouldn't look out of place at a scrap yard. In fact it might make the place look scruffy!
"The Council is suing the makers..."
That's the solicitors making money out of this fiasco, then!
Cut your losses and shove it on E-Bay.
Round of applause for Manchester CC - what a great use of Council Tax payer's money this was!
Pull it down, weigh it in, sack the ones responsible.
It's 'falling apart' just like Citeh's season! How ironic.
Comes second only to the Millenium Dome in wasting tax payers hard earned money.
Who comes up with these ideas and who actually signed the cheque? Someone should be held accountable.
Weigh it in before someone pinches it to weigh it in themselves - don't bother suing - we can't afford more cost if we lose! Mark it up to experience
Pull it down, let the Gypsies move onto the site and after a week it'll look better than it does now
If any more come off it, it should be renamed 'S of the Spike'.
Seriously though, while most we slating its creation at the beginning, I liked it (apart from needing SOME form of colour on it). But I have switched ranks now; get it removed! Not least because I'm a City fan and I want my entrance back as it was before this series of disasters.
While we're at it, can't we scrap the whole area in and around Piccadilly "Gardens" and start again..?