Impact of Architecture on Sense of Place Flashcards
What is the name of the architecture?
The Angel of the North
Location?
Low Eighton, Gateshead
Cost?
It costed £800,000 at the time and would have costed £1,440,000 in 2020
Height above Sea Level / Measurements?
It is 75 metres above sea level and the steel structure 20 metres tall with wings measuring 54 metres across.
This makes it the largest artistic sculpture in Britain
When was it built?
The construction started in 1994 and the sculpture was completed in 1998
What was the meaning behind the sculpture?
The designer Gormley said that the angel had wings at and angle of 35 degrees forward to show a sense of embrace from the angel.
He also suggested that the image had multiple meanings and that it could be set as a reminder of the region’s industrial past and the people who used to mine beneath for centuries.
It was also meant to symbolise the transition from the industrial to information age and as a focus for humans hopes and fears.
Has this meaning been appreciated?
Since its construction the statue has had lots of attention and has been the “focus of a lot of publicity stunts”.
This shows that its true meaning hasn’t been widely recognised and most people just think of it as a statue
