Rising Universe (Shelley commemorative sculpture) (1)

Image: © P L Chadwick Taken: 24 May 2010

This bizarre and highly controversial piece of public art, dominates the area, being 28 feet high, and 45 feet wide at its base. It was financed by Sainsbury's, although it appears they had little involvement, other than meeting the cost. The artist, Angela Conner, designed it to commemorate the bi-centenary of the poet Shelley's birth. He was born locally in 1792. It is intended to reflect his forward thinking. The artwork is a water feature, but since it was unveiled in 1996, there have been continual problems with the mechanisms which move the globe part up and down. Additionally it has frequently been turned off because of water supply concerns, and there is also a continual net loss of water when it operates. The area around the artwork has been altered considerably since Elliott Simpson took his photograph in January 2008:- Image For more information about the artwork and a positive response to it, it is worth looking at that photo. For more information about the controversy around the artwork, follow this link:- Image Image

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