A major new public artwork has been unveiled involving a canal boat with a twist. Alex Chinneck, who is known for his large-scale pieces that warp well-known structures, has turned his attention to celebrating Sheffield’s historic waterways and industrial heritage. The work takes the form of a full-size canal boat performing a six metre-high loop-the-loop.
The static structure appears to float on the water between locks four and five of the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, near to the Meadowhall Shopping Centre, on the eastern edge of the city. The looping boat bears the name The Industry, after the first vessel to navigate the canal when it opened in 1819, and it features the Tudor Rose – the assay mark of Sheffield. The work is made from nine tonnes of helically-rolled steel and aluminium, painted in traditional canal boat colours, and the Canal & River Trust believes the loop is the tallest structure to have been transported along the waterway in the last 70 years.
Mr Chinneck said: “I’ve tried to create an uplifting and endearing landmark that belongs to this historic location while honouring the city’s industrial history by pushing steel to its material limit. “This project has been a massive chapter in my career. It concludes eight years of creating sculptures for Tinsley in Sheffield and I’m proud to finish with the looping boat.
” Sean McGinley, regional director Yorkshire & North East at the Canal & River Trust charity, which maintains the waterway, said: �.