Lomography

The Angel of the North, UK
written by oldskool_rider on February 7th, 2009 , 6 comments (0 votes)

Please activate JavaScript to see this gallery.

For many years i have traveled that same road while going to visit relatives in the north of England, always passing familiar landmarks, but none as familiar as this. The Angel of the North, designed by Antony Gormley stands at the top of the hill next to the A1 on the outskirts of Gateshead, Newcastle. At least 90,000 motorists a day pass by this 208 tonne angel as it welcomes them to “the North”. Its wings are 54 meters wide (similar to a jumbo jet), so not seeing this landmark is not an option for those who pass by. She also marks the spot where (below her) coal miners worked for over 200 years.

In early January this year, i knew i would be passing it, so i made sure i had time to stop to say hello. I loaded a roll of Ilford XP2 super 400 into my new LCA+ and spent 10 minutes or so shooting. In my eyes, she is a beautiful sculpture with a great story to tell. Standing there at her feel, I felt so insignificant, yet so at home. However some do not like the angel. Some art critics have classed it as “vulgar” and say that it should be destroyed, but I say it is a friendly reminder of how small and insignificant we are as individuals, yet it still welcomes everyone and anyone to the North.

She truly is a photogenic sculpture that i think put Newcastle on the map. (well, that and spectrum imaging!)