Well not quite- it's more than a little inspirational just because it's there standing on a hill master of all it surveys and that's a bloody lot of the North East I can tell you. If this Mamma turned on a pivot like a weather vane it would have total dominance over a mighty kingdom indeed. Mind you, if it did you could probably hear the squeaking in York!
It's an impressive hunk of metal Geordie but I still can't quite work out if it's defending you or protecting you. A bit of both I suppose. At least you knew where you were with a ship.
Having passed this chunk of arty scrap for the past 16 or so years we finally tripped over the base of it yesterday by sheer accident on our way back from the Northumberland County Show. Always too busy in the past to take a gander we did quick whizz around the next roundabout and lobbed ten minutes out by paying the old red boy a visit.
Impressive engineering in its simplicity and scale. Shirley unexpectedly announced she liked it. I checked she meant the Angel and not the ice cream.
Me? Well, I still don't see why we needed an Angel. And having read the blurb on the information board I was non the wiser. ' we need to preserve the idea of Angels in our scientific world...' Or some such. That one had me pondering all the way down the A1 Mr Gormley. You could have quite easily said the same about winkles- thank God you didn't. Imagine?
It is because it is. And it is a huge modern landmark impressive in its own right for merely existing. As such satisfies any function which we individually bestow on it and that is enough. It's called Art and if it is truly significant to the human experience it will still be there 500 years from now.
Whatever, like the bridges of the Tyne this magnificent landmark will always herald the arrival or the leaving of a great and vibrant city and a warm hearted, loyal and generous people.Until of course the price of scrap metal quadruples! 'Twas ever thus, Geordie- Enjoy!
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