A PUBLICITY stunt to light up the Angel of the North in glorious green backfired after it emerged neither the sculpture's creator nor its owner gave permission.
The North East landmark was due to don a green hue this morning as part of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, following a practice run yesterday morning. But the publicity stunt was cancelled as neither sculptor Antony Gormley, who designed the Angel, nor Gateshead Council were consulted on the imminent illumination of the landmark.
The mistake was pointed out to Mr Gormley and council officials yesterday after The Journal asked if they supported the Tourism Ireland stunt.
The sculptor was incensed to discover a preview of the event had already taken place and that his Angel had been lit without his permission for an early-morning photo shoot.
Mr Gormley has always been against his work being illuminated or artificially altered.
He said: “It is a very bad idea to turn it green. It’s against its nature.
“I didn’t know about it but now we’d better stop it. I never wanted it lit, especially not green, as much as I love St Patrick’s Day.”
Mr Gormley had a clause added to the original agreement when work on the Angel began in 1994, refusing permission to light the Angel. Council officials were equally shocked and immediately took the matter in their hands.
Gateshead Council strategic director of legal and corporate services, Mike Barker, said: “No permission was sought either for the projection or for the use of Council-owned land at the Angel of the North.
“Although Gateshead Council owns the Angel of the North, we agreed with the artist Anthony Gormley to protect the integrity of the sculpture and ensure that it is enjoyed by the public at all times.
“Changing the appearance of the sculpture for commercial reasons is not something for which we give permission. We are happy to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and have arranged for Gateshead Millennium Bridge to be lit in green for the occasion.”
Charlotte Sprague and her team arranged the light show on behalf of Tourism Ireland. She said: “We organised the event through a projection company. They were supposed to deal with getting permission from Gateshead Council. We are trying to understand what happened.”
The winged sculpture was not the only landmark expected to go green.
Several of the country’s architectural treasures such as the London Eye, Battersea Power Station and Nelson’s Monument in Edinburgh are still set to be lit green for the celebrations.
Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Our aim is to bring a smile to the world and to convey the message that Ireland continues to offer a warm welcome, fun and spontaneity, alongside fantastic scenery and cultural activities.
“Over seventy million people around the word claim that links to the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.”
