The B of the Bang, erected in 2004 outside the City of Manchester Stadium, was designed as a tribute to the 2002 Commonwealth Games and was named after British sprinter Linford Christie's famous saying: "I'll be gone by the B of the Bang."
See my photograph of the sculpture under construction.
The 184ft (56m) sculpture, designed to look like a fireworks explosion, was made up of 200 solid steel columns. Welders spent several hours securing five of its 82ft (25m) tapered legs to the ground.
I took this close-up shot of the centre of the sculpture in February 2009.
In February 2009 it was announced that it was to be taken down after being blighted by safety concerns and a legal row. One of its 180 steel spikes was dislodged within two weeks of its erection and 22 have since been removed from the sculpture.
Work has now started on dismantling the sculpture. These last three photographs were taken on Monday 18th May, 2009.
I don't exactly know what the workmen here were doing but I saw flames coming out from what I assume was an acetylene torch.
The short video clip below was meant to show how the spikes were vibrating in the wind. It is clear on the original, but not so clear on this reduced-quality version uploaded through blogger. I still need to learn how to edit video clips.
A pity that they had to take it down - it looked very special. However, seeing the video convinced me!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how big it was until your picture of the workmen underneath the structure. At least you now have pictures and a video to remember it by.
ReplyDeleteRe your comment: I have been a bit more conscientious about using a polarizing filter. Highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the B of the Bang is/was HUGE!
ReplyDeleteIt did look amazing, but it vibrated like crazy in even light winds and has been permanently fenced off since the spikes fell off 2 weeks after it was unveiled.
It's a shame.
Having lived nearby and knowing the sporting acumen of it's location, I thought a sculpture incorporating all the sports would have been more fitting - there is actually a sculpture of a runner tucked away and partially hidden round by the Athletics arena.