Guardian angel takes region under its wing

May 16 2008 by Jule Wilson, The Journal

THE impact of the Angel of the North on life in the region has been celebrated at a special event.

As part of the iconic sculpture’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Coun Mick Henry yesterday addressed a special Angel of the North Symposium, made up of hundreds of delegates from the political and cultural sectors both in Gateshead and Newcastle.

He said: “Speaking personally, I have an affinity with art and design and the fact is we had grown and learned to understand 10 years ago that culture had a real value.

“We felt it then against a grim background of life – things in Gateshead had changed so much following massive unemployment and the sense we had was of an enhanced quality of life. The real value of culture is that it does change people’s lives.”

Since its creation, the Angel of the North has been featured in international magazines including USA’s Newsweek and the artwork also transformed the landscape of the former pithead baths of Team Colliery site.

Coun Henry added: “In Gateshead, we have something to be proud of and we want to shout it from the rooftops. We wanted people to know who we were. We wanted something which would turn people’s heads and make people feel good about where they lived.”

Since 1998, when the Antony Gormley work of art was placed at the spot where it overlooks the A1, unemployment in Gateshead has reduced by more than 46%, and the average earnings have risen by more than 32%, according to figures released during the symposium.

Coun Henry also spoke of the wider role of public art in the transformation of the city of Gateshead over that 10-year period, and the economic impact on the regional economy due to what he described as the Angel-led revolution in the arts.

He said: “It’s very hard today to imagine Gateshead without the Angel of the North, almost impossible, as the Angel is now woven into the cultural and social fabric of our borough, and is very much part of our identity. The Angel has raised the profile of Gateshead and the North East by playing a major part in the repositioning and rebranding of the borough as a forward-thinking, progressive place to visit, work in, move to, and invest in.”

Coun Henry said the sculpture, which was controversial when it was first put in place, had led to a significant number of new jobs and additional investment in the region, as well as stimulating tourism in the North East. He added: “I don’t think anyone could, or would, deny that the Angel of the North has provided an iconic symbol of Gateshead’s cultural renaissance.” Other speakers at the symposium included Gateshead’s public arts curator Anna Pepperall, visual artist Gordon Young and Matthew Jarratt from Commissions North.