A new piece of public art which has been unveiled outside the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, UK, uses grade 316 stainless-steel pipe supplied by Sandvik Materials Technology. Pipe ranging from 4â? to 14â? nominal bore has been supplied to form the centre support column of a new, 19 metre high by 1.5 metre wide sculpture in Nottinghamâs Bolero Square. A 14â? nb base pipe has provided the foundation for 12â?, 10â?, 8â? and 4â? nb pipe to be âtelescopedâ and MIG welded into position to achieve the 19m height. Stainless-steel sheet has then been TIG welded to the central column. To achieve the final effect, the pipe and underside of the sheet materials have been bead blasted and the top-side of the sheet has been mirror polished. The sculpture is lit from below and slowly rotates. A spray protective coating means that an annual cleaning with water should maintain the appearance and therefore, its impact. The sculpture was designed by Nottingham art and design partnership, Wolfgang and Heron, who also designed the Angel Wings sculpture at the N1 Centre in Islington, UK. They worked alongside Nottingham based structural engineers Price and Myers and local fabricator, Goodmans of Colwick. The abstract sculpture design reflects the themes of ice, skate blades and the way that skaters turn on the ice.
