Works begins on B of the Bang - at last | Manchester Evening News

Works begins on B of the Bang - at last

Chris Osuh and David Ottewell

May 16, 2006

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SURVEY: Engineers.

SURVEY: Engineers. 1/2 Play Slideshow

WORK to sort out Manchester's controversial B of the Bang sculpture has finally started - but its long-term future hangs in the balance.

* B of the Bang photogallery

Engineers have begun removing nine spikes from the landmark to test them for signs of stress damage. They include the ones overhanging the slip road at the junction of Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way in East Manchester, which has been closed for more than a year for safety reasons after a spike fell off in January last year.

The news is a major victory for the M.E.N's Get It Sorted campaign, which has been pressing for action on B of the Bang since September last year.

But the fact engineers working on the sculpture have admitted for the first time its long-term future is uncertain comes as another bitter blow in a long-running saga.

Explosion

B of the Bang, commissioned to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, was designed by ex-Manchester student Thomas Heatherwick. It is the largest public artwork in Britain and its 180 steel spikes - stretching to 184ft - are supposed to capture the explosion of an athletics starting pistol.

The sculpture was originally due to be finished by July, 2003, but wasn't officially opened until January last year. By then, the M.E.N. had revealed the cost - met mainly from public money for art - had rocketed from é750,000 to é1.42m because the contractors did not include the price of installation in the original quote.

Spike

When a 7ft spike fell off in January - just days before Olympic hero Linford Christie was due to perform the opening ceremony - the slip road was closed and urgent testing began to find out why B of the Bang was moving so much in the wind. Since then, 170 special weights have been fitted to the spikes.

A spokeswoman for New East Manchester - NEM - the regeneration company that commissioned the sculpture, said the consortium that won the contract to erect B of the Bang was working to a fixed-price contract which could not rise above the agreed é1.42m.

Keith Rudd, a civil engineer at the firm Arup, who is working on the project for the city council, said: "All the nine spikes should be off by the end of the month and then we need to wait six to eight weeks for the testing.

Results

"We will have to wait to see the results. We have got to be sure it is safe - that is our number one priority. At the moment, it is impossible to say what will happen.

"Since the spike fell off, we have fitted weights in the tips and no further damage has been recorded since then. The spikes are not vibrating as violently as they were. There is nothing to suggest its condition has got worse.

"But we are looking at it in terms of a 50-year lifespan and we need to be 100 per cent certain."

Tom Russell, chief executive of NEM, said: "It's a complicated structure so we need to be completely confident the solution is the right one and any defects are identified."

DO you think B of the Bang is worth all this trouble? Have your say.

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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

Gervaise, Ashton under Lyne (16/05/2006 at 10:26)

Here we go again!
A spokesman said " the nine spikes will be tested" When others fall of (and they will) will they also be tested? It is unsafe, get it down and get the money back of the crackpots who commisioned it!

jim, manchester (16/05/2006 at 10:26)

i reckon it should be scrapped and a big man city crest that lights up should be put in its place!!!

val, chorlton (16/05/2006 at 10:46)

what a fiasco, the Council is rightly embarrassed by the failure to finish this project and make it safe for the public.

rob, manchester (16/05/2006 at 12:07)

This is a fantastic piece of art and we should do what we can to make it safe and accessible for all.

Lucy, Reddish (16/05/2006 at 12:24)

It has only been fenced off and the slip the slip road closed for around 6 months now well done for your prompt action!! Why not just take this eye sore down completely, as once it opened up properly anyway it will just be grafited on and ruined anyway and will probably be rusted within the next year anyway costing far too much money than it is worth, what is needed in the area where this terrible waste of money Bang is, is a youth centre not a sculpture all you see visitors doing is lauhing at this not admiring it and saying how wonderful it, the wheel in the centre of town is far more attractive to look at

John, Manchester (16/05/2006 at 12:30)

bin in, what a waste of money, can't believe it got started in the first place

Jake Long, Mancester, City Centre (16/05/2006 at 12:48)

Scrap metal is at it's higest value for many years, and with the amount that this piece of scrap metal cost, it's hardly supprising. Who voted for this? Who said that it was a good idea to spend, what is essentially public money, on something that serves no purpose. Public money shoul only be spent on things that actually benefit the public. B of the bang and all it's counterparts scatterd around the city do not fit into this category.

Phil Gee, Clayton (16/05/2006 at 13:06)

We should be proud of the sculpture, it is every much as impressive as the Angel of the North - lets keep it.

Ace Riley, manchester (16/05/2006 at 13:19)

You can "try" and dampen the spikes as much as you want they will still present a viberation problem its virtually impossible to dampen the spikes.The only soulution is to scrap the bang before it gets too costly "And dangerous"

Jon, manchester (16/05/2006 at 13:25)

Goes to show that all structures like this should be designed and constructed by professionally qualified engineers and not ex-students...
Great art - shame about the money.

Holly, Manchester (16/05/2006 at 13:34)

Apart from the Millenium dome, this scuplpture has got to be the biggest waist of money!! it is an absolute monstrosity of which could have killed many had it fallen on pedestrians or drivers at the busy junction where it is positioned. I feel they should take down the sculpture before any more time or money is waisted!!!

Succinct, manchester (16/05/2006 at 13:59)

I like it.

R.I.P George Best, Oldham (16/05/2006 at 14:43)

B of the bang, what would more apt is P of the take

Lucy, Reddish (16/05/2006 at 15:05)

Fantastic piece of art??? Where?? Accessible for all it is boring one look and thats itr seen it nothing more to see, not even like there is any other interesting sights to see just around this "sculpture" waste of time and money come on people just admit it money could have so better been spent on something else more needy!

Lucy, Reddish (16/05/2006 at 15:09)

Love your comment George best R.I.P cant get more to the point than that! Heres another for you, s of the s***e!!!

N/A, SALE (16/05/2006 at 15:12)

It looks brilliant - once it's determined safe and the fuss dies down, you lot may see it differently. And ok an ex student designed it - but do you not think the engineering company wouldv'e built it without looking into it, if he said 'stick your head in a fire' - would they, I think not! Ok so they need to sort it out, but It'd probably cost a lot more to remove it now, so live with it and stop moaning and be proud you have art on your doorstep. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Lucy, Reddish (16/05/2006 at 15:22)

N/A from Sale, you would say that as you dont pass it every day living in sale, this "sculpture" has caused not only ugly fencing to be up for the passed 6/7 months, it has closed a slip road on which causes heavy traffic on match days and in rush hour and it could have badly hurt people when the spikes have fallen off, and could quite easily have cost someones life, weigh it in for scrap metal and cut your loses

Ace, Riley (17/05/2006 at 11:15)

If they are going to pull the bang down i know how to recycle the spikes to make a great sculpture "Set them in concrete pointing upwards like a fish fin and put some plates of glass between the spikes to make it look like stained glass and light it up at night"? Hows that for recycling and it would cost very little to do ..and you could put names on to remember the people who made manchester great ..

Alan, Manchester (17/05/2006 at 18:21)

It is a fantastic work of Art. Art is not a waste of money ( note waste not waist Holly!. Seems your education may have been Wasted? ), if everyone thought like you lot England would have never seen many other great pieces of art work! Such examples being Alison Lapper Pregnant , The women of World war II memorial, the Angel of the North, Anthony Gormley??TMs ??oeAnother Place" or the Manchester Cowparade.

Lucy, Reddish (18/05/2006 at 09:42)

Alan yes there is some great pieces of art in manchester but this bang definately isnt one of them, passed it this morning 4 spikes having been taken off they may aswel take the lot down now while they are at it

Holly, Manchester (18/05/2006 at 09:52)

Alan from Manchester - even though my grammer maynot be fantastic, i am still allowed to voice my opinion and i would appreciate you not singling me out and insulting me because of this. I feel it is a 'waste' of money, you feel it is great - i would sooner be uneducated as opposed to rude!

Lucy, Reddish (18/05/2006 at 11:26)

Take no notice of him Holly, he is obviously a strange one for thinking this is piece of art, piece of art that is so far from what this actually is

Laugh Out Loud, Manchester (18/05/2006 at 12:46)

Alan, before you sling insults at Holly, learn how to type or set your key board up. Terrible use of question marks and a TM in the middle made your posting a poor effort with regards to literacy. 3 out of 10, could do better! Holly, I am with you and Lucy. The Angel of the North is imposing, simple and well thought out, thus, it does lend itself well to the landscape and is indeed a work of art. B of Bang however, is an overpriced extension of art students ego. It is also difficult to build from an engineering perspective. I do think its a waste of money and effort. Ha....

Alan, Manchester (18/05/2006 at 13:59)

Holly you can not voice your opion in written format, you can only "attempt" to express it. BTW millennium has two Ns and I can only hazard a guess as to what a "scuplpture" is. Lucy not sure who "aswel" is, I hope he/she may not take it down. Learn about art and culture ladies...it may open your eyes!

lol, Salford Quays (18/05/2006 at 14:48)

Terrible use of question marks and a TM is due to the HTML editing Doh! Who is laughing now!
I'm with Alan on this one. You guys would be happier on Coronation st.

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