Cyprien Gaillard: The Whitworth Park Obelisk

Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester has commissioned French artist Cyprien Gaillard to create a new public sculpture in Whitworth Park as a monument to Hulme – an area south of Manchester’s city centre. The Whitworth Park Obelisk is classical in style but made from concrete and recycled brick taken from various sites in the neighbourhood. The brick is from demolished terraced houses in Bowes Street, Moss Side, and concrete from the 1960s flats from Bonsall Street in Hulme. The sculpture was installed on June 6th 2011, occupying a plinth empty since the Second World War.

The sculpture was supported of Councillors Mary Murphy and Alistair Cox, Manchester City Council, GB Building Solutions and Manchester Metropolitan University. It was made by Stockley (Manchester), Thorp Precast (Staffordshire) and Offerton Sand and Gravel (Stockport).

Image: Cyprien Gaillard.  Photo: Martin Stalker