Waterwheel

The sculpture, titled 'Waterwheel', was designed with members of the community and defines the estate entrance. The design itself was developed through a series of workshops involving the artist, residents from the estate and pupils from Heworth Grange Comprehensive School. The waterwheel was selected to reflect the area's history as several watermills once existed in the area, and one specifically at High Lanes. It provides the framework to embed aspects of other past industries such as coal mining and ship building, as well as the Metro and environmental.

The sculpture is made from mild forged steel, which has been hot-dip galvanised, etch primed and two pack lacquered to give it a 'gun metal' finish. The material was chosen for its robust quality, and the addition of the two pack lacquer provides an anti-graffiti coating. The sculpture is located on the ground and is fixed into concrete foundations beneath the earth. It measures 2m in height x 1.8m in length x .5m in depth. The shape and size of the sculpture has been designed to be 'in keeping' with the size and scale of its surroundings and to prevent people from being able to sit or rest on it.

Community consultation & workshops

Jim Roberts carried out a variety of practical workshops sessions at Edberts House, located within the estate, with members of the community. These workshops included a 'Meet the Artist' and sessions where attendees gained experience of drawing, modelling, clay carving and casting. Jim also took a group from the community to the National Glass Centre in Sunderland where they saw an exhibition of contemporary art and visited other publicly sited artworks. In addition, he worked with Heworth Grange Comprehensive School pupils to create small scale sculptural works.

The artist

Sculptor, Jim Roberts was selected by the community to create the artwork.

"My work involves the design, manufacture and siting of sculptural steel artworks. It often entails my interaction with a variety of community groups. I have worked in numerous locations in the North East of England producing site specific sculptural pieces for various outdoor settings. The history, location and the intended site all inspire the completed art work. When creating site-specific artwork it is important the work is robust as well as aesthetically pleasing in order to create a more desirable environment".

The artwork was commissioned by The Gateshead Housing Company with assistance from Gateshead Council. This artwork is part of a series of community public artworks completed in 2010 which have been commissioned by The Gateshead Housing Company.