Audiences North East

The largest public art initiative the world has ever seen has been launched by Tees Valley Regeneration.

Tees Valley Giants will be a series of five world-class art installations by internationally acclaimed sculptor Anish Kapoor and leading structural designer Cecil Balmond, of Arup.

And the first installation – Temenos – was launched on 10 July 2008.

The artist and engineer are known for the monumental scale of their work and are two of the most sought after names in the art world. Their works can be seen in prominent locations around the globe including New York, Chicago and Beijing.

Tees Valley Regeneration has worked for several years to secure the initiative which is symbolic of its aspiration and commitment to enhance the way the Tees Valley is viewed and experienced.'

Chief executive Joe Docherty said: 'Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s public artworks are known around the world for their size, complexity and the ambition of their vision, which is why we believe they are the right team for this project.

'Temenos is the first in a series of five monumental pieces, each related in terms of scale and engineering. Temenos will put the Tees Valley and wider region firmly on the map by demonstrating its long term vision and ambition.

'It is always been our pledge to bring only the best to the Tees Valley and to have people of this calibre working on not just one, but five installations is a resounding result for the area.

'The first of the Tees Valley Giants revealed is Temenos - which will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Transporter Bridge as a landmark for future generations.'

Temenos will be located at the north-eastern corner of Middlehaven Dock, Middlesbrough (one of TVR’s five flagship redevelopment schemes). It will cost £2.7m and will be a staggering 110m in length and almost 50m high.

Temenos is funded by government initiative The Northern Way, Regional Development Agency One NorthEast, the Arts Council England, the Northern Rock Foundation, Middlesbrough Football Club and BioRegional Quintain.
A planning application for Temenos will be submitted to Middlesbrough Council shortly.

The scale and ambition of the Tees Valley Giants are further evidence of the massive cultural and social renaissance brought to the Tees Valley by Tees Valley Regeneration.

Sculptures will also be installed at Stockton, Hartlepool, Darlington and Redcar and Cleveland adding up to the biggest public art project anywhere in the world.

Anish Kapoor’s huge public artworks blur the boundaries between art and architecture, and he will be working with long-standing collaborator Cecil Balmond, deputy chairman of engineering consultants Arup and founder of the world-leading Advanced Geometry Unit at Arup. Some of the most ambitious and radical buildings in the world today owe their existence to Cecil Balmond.

Anish has won countless major art awards and his work appears in galleries including the Tate museums, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.

Anish said: 'I relish the chance to work in an area like the Tees Valley where there is a real and growing appreciation of art and its place within resurgent communities.

'I have visited the area and welcome the prospect of playing a part in this renaissance from the start.'

Cecil Balmond said: 'It is always fascinating to work with Anish. His design outlook creates new spatial geometries with interesting structural possibilities.'

Cecil is responsible for engineering design of the China State Television HQ - which will be one of the biggest buildings in the world when it opens next year.