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''B of the Bang'' was a sculpture by Thomas Heatherwick next to the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, which was commissioned to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games; it was one of the tallest structures in Manchester and the tallest sculpture in the UK until the completion of ''Aspire'' in 2008. It was taller and leaned at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The sculpture took its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie, in which he said that he started his races not merely at the "bang" of the starting pistol, but at "the B of the Bang". The sculpture was commissioned in 2003; construction overran and the official unveiling was delayed until 12 January 2005. Six days before the launch, the sculpture suffered the first of three visible structural problems as the tip of one of the spikes detached and fell to the ground. Legal action started a year later, resulting in an out-of-court settlement totalling £1.7 million. In February 2009, Manchester City Council announced that the sculpture would be dismantled and placed in storage.〔〔 Despite the promise of storage and potential reassembly, the core and legs of the sculpture were cut apart during removal. The core was sold for scrap in July 2012, while the 180 spikes remain in storage.〔〔〔 == Design and statistics== ''B of the Bang'' originally stood tall〔 with 180 hollow tapered steel columns or spikes radiating from a central core. It was angled at 30 degrees〔 and supported by five long, tapered steel legs〔〔 which connected to the spikes above the ground. The sculpture weighed 165 tonnes,〔 with the concrete in the foundations weighing over 1,000 tonnes,〔 including a reinforced concrete slab.〔 The foundations are deep.〔 The sculpture was made from the same weathering steel (also known as Cor-Ten) as the Angel of the North sculpture, which gradually develops a tightly adhering oxide layer as it is exposed to the elements. This layer inhibits further corrosion by reducing its permeability to water. As part of the design, the spikes swayed slightly in the wind〔 in order to withstand gusts in excess of .〔 At the time of construction a time capsule was placed in one of the spikes of the sculpture, containing children's poems and paintings, due to be opened circa 2300.〔 The location of the time capsule after dismantling is currently unknown. ''B of the Bang'' was located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity, in Beswick, at the corner of Alan Turing Way and Ashton New Road;.〔〔 It took its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie in which he said that he started his races not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'.〔 The artwork had been nicknamed ''KerPlunk'' by the locals after the popular children's game from the 1970s.〔 Prior to the construction of Aspire at the University of Nottingham, ''B of the Bang'' was Britain's tallest sculpture at well over twice the height of the Angel of the North,〔 which stands at . It was designed to look like an exploding firework〔 and was taller and leaned at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.〔 It was commissioned by New East Manchester Limited to commemorate the 2002 Commonwealth Games.〔 The design was selected by a panel consisting of both local residents and art experts via a competition in 2002〔 and was designed by Thomas Heatherwick.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「B of the Bang」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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