A Spire for Mansfield
Encyclopedia
A Spire for Mansfield, sometimes shortened by the artists to 'A-Spire' is a 13 metre (42.7 foot) sculpture, which lies within the centre
of Mansfield
, Nottinghamshire
, England
. It was officially endorsed by the former local mayor Tony Egginton
and Mansfield District Council. The sculpture was installed in late 2007, as the third piece of artwork for public art in Mansfield and appears as a large metallic feather.
The sculpture was created by two artists; Wolfgang Buttress and Heron, and was intended to mark the legacy of local coal mining, the canaries
once taken underground, Sherwood Forest
in Nottinghamshire
, and Mansfield's engineering traditions.
The tines of the feather were cut by laser
from 3mm stainless steel
and were meant to "capture the breeze" and allow the sculpture to gently sway, portraying the branches of a tree. The highly polished stainless steel aimed to reflect the light and act as "a counterpart to the surrounding trees".
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
of Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was officially endorsed by the former local mayor Tony Egginton
Tony Egginton
Tony Egginton is the directly elected mayor of the Mansfield district in Nottinghamshire, England. He was elected to the position on 17 October 2002. He was re-elected in 2007 and again 2011.He had previously been a newsagent....
and Mansfield District Council. The sculpture was installed in late 2007, as the third piece of artwork for public art in Mansfield and appears as a large metallic feather.
The sculpture was created by two artists; Wolfgang Buttress and Heron, and was intended to mark the legacy of local coal mining, the canaries
Domestic Canary
The Domestic Canary, often simply known as the canary, is a domesticated form of the wild Canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands ....
once taken underground, Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, and Mansfield's engineering traditions.
The tines of the feather were cut by laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
from 3mm stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
and were meant to "capture the breeze" and allow the sculpture to gently sway, portraying the branches of a tree. The highly polished stainless steel aimed to reflect the light and act as "a counterpart to the surrounding trees".