PUBLIC ARTOWRK, RUSTY STEELWORK
Across Hopetown Darlington you will see a number of features that look rather… rusty.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a design flaw. Collectively the rusty looking totem poles, ticker nippers, photo frame, turntable and cladding on the bridge and Experiment! are in-fact pieces of public art created by Middlesbrough born artist Andrew McKeown.
Andrew’s expertise is in sculpture, design and environmental regeneration. The heavy industry of the Teesside region has influenced his artwork and the materials he uses. His large-scale commissions both in the UK and internationally are specific to their respective sites and incorporate local historical references. Much of his work is cast or fabricated in iron, steel, bronze and stone.
The artwork here at Hopetown Darlington is made from a material called ‘Corten steel’ which quickly and naturally rusts in the open elements. The industrial look of the artwork symbolises Darlington’s industrial railway heritage.
Andrew has worked with local schools and community groups to inspire and inform the wording on some of the art sculptures. Children at Northwood Primary School, Corporation Road Community Primary School, and Reid Street Primary School, along with retired railway workers from our Railway Coffee Morning group, heard about Andrew’s work and helped to suggest relevant words that could be incorporated.
List of artworks:
- Viewing frame at Skerne Bridge
- Words on the steps up to the Goods Shed
- Ticket Nipper sculptures across the site
- Interpretation Totems across the site
- Timeline Soundscape in Goods Yard
- Turntable artwork piece in the middle of Foundry Green
- Decorative fencing in front of the Carriage Works
- Cladding on the railway bridge and the Experiment! ride
Funding for the artwork was secured from Art Fund, an independent charity that connects museums, people and art.