Golden (The Flame That Never Dies)- Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK
N 53° 03.510 W 002° 13.298
30U E 552165 N 5879061
Golden (The Flame That Never Dies) is a flame-shaped, modern art sculpture installed in the Chatterley Valley, on the outskirts of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, on the site of the former Goldendale Ironworks.
Waymark Code: WMTXRT
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/20/2017
Views: 4
The title references the golden flame that sprang from the original Goldendale ironworks which previously lit the Chatterley Valley – locals for many years referred to the iron works as “the flame that never dies.” The new, elegant artwork stands at 21 metres tall. The piece is made from corten steel which alludes to the steel previously manufactured in the area. Over 1,000 hand blown glass prisms are attached to the column of the artwork. Each one contains a memory or wish written on handmade paper by hundreds of people in the local community.
The sculpture will be internally lit so that it appears to glow at night. Lines and marks engraved on to the column have been informed and inspired by the Sutherland Map which is located in the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. The map clearly shows the layers of geological strata that make up the Chatterley Valley. On a site visit the artist found a piece of iron from the old works which has a remarkable resemblance to a human heart. This has been suspended in the interior of the artwork to represent the beating heart of the community. (
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The £130,000 artwork was designed by the award-winning public art sculptor Wolfgang Buttress.
Find out more about Wolfgang Buttress on his website: (
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It is one of the tallest public art sculptures in Britain. The 21-metre-high creation is one metre (three feet) taller than the Angel of the North, Antony Gormley's acclaimed work in Gateshead.
Work in progress can be seen on the following website:
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An article and pictures of the sculpture arriving in Tunstall can be seen at the following website.
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