Wirral's 'Column' by Anthony McCall
Date uploaded: November 14, 2012
Arts Council England (ACE) has announced that it will not be investing any more money into the delayed project Column, by New York-based artist Anthony McCall, but will: ‘continue to support the production team to make it happen’. The finished work has now been officially delayed until 2013 'to give the team the extra time they require and to pre-empt any further delays that adverse winter weather conditions might cause'.
Moira Sinclair, Executive Director London, Arts Council England, said: 'We have closely monitored Column's progress since its inception. Although the delays to its delivery are disappointing, the Arts Council is absolutely committed to enabling artists to take risks because that's when great art often happens. The Column team has made a lot of progress during this final testing phase. By allowing them the extra time they need we hope to see Column realised in 2013, as a world-first, and for the people of Merseyside and beyond to experience and enjoy.'
Column was commissioned by Arts Council England as part of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival, which ran alongside the London 2012 Olympics.
Column was supposed to be part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad but planning permission was delayed due to issues with it being on the flight path for Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport.
The steam, produced from heating water from the River Mersey, should have risen 1.2 miles into the air above the Wirral waterfront, at Birkenhead's East Dock - opposite Liverpool's Pier Head.
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