Blade © Mike Bartlett Photography

Blade

On 8 January 2017, the people of Hull woke up to discover a 75m wind turbine blade had mysteriously appeared in Queen Victoria Square.

The 25 tonne structure was transported overnight from Siemens, where it was made, through the city in a complex operation, which saw more than 50 items of street furniture removed.

Conceived by artist Nayan Kulkarni, the installation offered a striking contrast to the neo-classical Ferens Art Gallery, Italianate Maritime Museum and Hull City Hall.

Blade, which won the Pro Tem Commendation at the Civic Trust Awards, was the first in a series of art commissions installed in public spaces around Hull as part of Look Up. The year-long programme saw different artists creating temporary artworks designed to make people look at the city in new ways.

Other Look Up projects included The City Speaks by Michael Pinsky; Washed Up Car-go by Chris Dobrowolski; The Train Track and the Basket by Claire Barber; Paper City by GF Smith; Bleached by Tania Kovats; This is a Freedom of Expression Centre by Bob and Roberta Smith; Elephant in the Room by Claire Morgan; Hall for Hull with Trois Points De Vue by Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Felice Varini; and Floe by Heinrich and Palmer.

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