B of the Bang is a sculpture in Manchester, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It is located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity, Beswick, at the corner of Alan Turing Way and Ashton New Road,^[1][2] at coordinates 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″W / 53.48194, -2.19611Coordinates: 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″W / 53.48194, -2.19611. The City of Manchester Stadium, which is also known as COMS or Eastlands, is a sports venue in Manchester, England. Beswick is a component area of the City of Manchester, in North West England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. It is Britain's tallest sculpture at twice the height of the Angel of the North,^[2] and is one of the tallest structures in the city of Manchester. Angel of the North is a modern Sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England. This list of the tallest buildings and structures in Manchester ranks Skyscrapers structures and Towers in the City of Manchester, England by height It cost £1. 42 million to design and construct^[3]—twice the original estimate^[2] as that neglected installation costs^[4]—with the North West Development Agency contributing £500,000 and the local council providing another £120,000,^[5] with the rest from various other sources. The Northwest Regional Development Agency ( NWDA) is the Regional development agency for the North West England region and is a Non-Departmental Public

The sculpture takes its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie in which he said that he started his races not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'. Sprints are short running races in athletics. They are roughly classified as events in which top runners will not have to "pace themselves" but can run as fast as Linford Christie OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former world class athlete, and the only British man to win Olympic World Commonwealth and European A starting pistol or starter pistol is a Handgun (typically a specially designed Revolver) that is fired to start Track and field races ^[6] It was designed to look like an exploding firework,^[7] and is taller and leans at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa or simply The Tower of Pisa (it La Torre di Pisa is the Campanile, or freestanding bell tower of the ^[6] The structure has been nicknamed KerPlunk by the locals after the popular children's game from the 1970s. KerPlunk is a game first marketed by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. ^[7]

Construction

The B of the Bang is 56 m (184 ft) tall^[7] and has 180 hollow tapered steel columns or spikes radiating from a central point. It is angled at 30 degrees,^[8] and is supported by five 25 m (82 ft) long, heavy steel tapered legs,^[6][9] which connect to the spikes 22 m (72 ft) above the ground. The sculpture weighs 165 tonnes,^[10] with the concrete in the foundations weighing over 1,000 tonnes,^[11] including a 400 m² reinforced concrete slab. ^[3] The foundations go down 20 m (65 ft). ^[11] The sculpture was made from the same weathering steel as the Angel of the North sculpture, and gradually changed to a rusty colour as it was exposed to the weather. Angel of the North is a modern Sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England. However, it will not corrode, nor rust internally. The sculpture sways slightly in the wind,^[5] and can withstand gusts in excess of 100 mph. ^[11] There is a time capsule in the centre of the sculpture containing kids' poems and paintings, due to be opened circa 2300. A time capsule is a historic cache of goods and/or information usually intended as a method of Communication with people in the future ^[12]

It was commissioned by New East Manchester Limited to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002 ^[8] The design was selected by a panel consisting of both local residents and art experts, via a competition in 2002. ^[5] The designer selected was Thomas Heatherwick. Thomas Heatherwick (born 1 March 1970) is an English Designer, often mislabelled as a sculptor or Artist. ^[1] The sculpture was constructed in Sheffield^[8] by Thomas Heatherwick Studio, Packman Lucas, Flint and Neill and Westbury Structures. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Thomas Heatherwick (born 1 March 1970) is an English Designer, often mislabelled as a sculptor or Artist. ^[13] It was approved at the start of 2003. ^[1]

The central core arrived in Manchester on the 13 June 2004;^[8] this was the largest load that could be transferred via road from the factory, and required a police escort. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[11] The main part of the sculpture was lifted into place in August 2004. It was officially unveiled on 12 January 2005 by Linford Christie. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Linford Christie OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former world class athlete, and the only British man to win Olympic World Commonwealth and European ^[7] It was supposed to be finished by July 2003, but was delayed during construction. As a result it was dubbed The G of the Bang. ^[2]

The tip of one of the 2. 1 m (7 ft) spikes fell off on the 6 January 2005. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the time the sculpture was closed off to the public, and the junction and pathway near the sculpture were temporarily closed afterwards. ^[14][15] As a result some of the joints were re-welded, with equipment put in place to stop the spikes moving. ^[16] Another spike had to be cut off by firefighters in May 2005 after it was discovered hanging loose. ^[15]

In 2006 another of the spikes fell off, resulting in a total of nine spikes being removed. ^[17] The sculpture was also fenced off. It remains in this state as of the end of 2007. In October 2007 it was announced that Manchester City Council were taking legal action against the makers of the sculpture, with the aim of completing the necessary repairs to the sculpture. Manchester City Council is the local authority for the City of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England ^[13]

References

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