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Couple can become icons!
Newbiggin should get its first sighting of the Sean Henry sculpture Couple in the middle of July when it arrives to be put in position on the new breakwater.
The two five metre tall bronze figures of a man and a woman have been commisisoned by INSPIRE, the South East Northumberland public art and design initiative, and created by the 41-year-old London-based, internationally renowned
artist.
Couple is to be integrated into the breakwater out in the centre of Newbiggin Bay, so that during the highest tides the figures will give the impression of standing on the water.
Sean Henry is recognised as one of the world’s leading figurative sculptors, and his work has been exhibited from Amsterdam to Bologna in Italy, London to Los Angeles, Munich to Newcastle, New York to Sydney.
He says he took his inspiration for Couple from the scale of the breakwater. As he says: “Newbiggin has a very dramatic
coastline and the sculptural challenge has been to create a piece that reflects how people feel in such an environment and
which works in harmony with that environment.
“I hope I have achieved that and created an artwork that while some way from the shoreline, makes a connection between
the breakwater, the village and all those who live in or visit Newbiggin.”
INSPIRE firmly believes that Couple can generate the same kind of iconic status as Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North has achieved in Gateshead.
As well as INSPIRE, supporters of Couple include Wansbeck Council, Defra, Northumberland Strategic Partnership and
Northern Rock Foundation.
