Panopticon n. Structure, space or device providing a comprehensive or panoramic view.
Panopticons (2003-2008) was a unique and ambitious arts and regeneration project at the heart of the East Lancashire Regional Park initiative, led by the Lancashire Economic Partnership. The project was set up to erect a series of 21st-century landmarks, or Panopticons, across East Lancashire as symbols of the renaissance of the area. Four of these iconic structures are now in place in Blackburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.
Panopticons was funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the Lancashire Economic Partnership, the Northern Way, Arts Council England North West and Lancashire County Council.
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Mid Pennine Arts and the Panopticons project were winners at Art '07.
Click here for more information.
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'Halo', Pennine Lancashire's fourth and final Panopticon, was launched today at a spectacular event on Top o' Slate, overlooking the town of Haslingden in Rossendale. Directed by international theatre company WildWorks, the event involved many local people and community groups and culminated in the inaugural lighting of 'Halo' against the night sky.
Guests at the event, organised by Mid Pennine Arts,
included Hazel Harding, Leader of Lancashire County Council; Ian Whittaker, Policy and Partnerships Manager, Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA); Dennis Taylor, Chief Executive of the Lancashire Economic Partnership (LEP); Duncan Ruddick, Leader of Rossendale Council and celebrity designer Wayne Hemingway, who has championed the Panopticons project from the outset. 'Halo' designer John Kennedy was also present to see his unique design illuminated for the first time.
Nick Hunt, Director of Mid Pennine Arts, said, "This has been a proud day for MPA and all the partners who have worked together for so long to pull off this ambitious and daring project. Panopticons has represented four years of painstaking work, and there have been some tough challenges along the way. Lighting up 'Halo' has brought the project to a superb climax. We think we have created something very special - something that will illuminate Pennine Lancashire in the eyes of the outside world."
For the full press release - click here.
To download a 'Halo' walks leaflet - click here
Directions
To find 'Halo', join the A56, either from the M65 J8 heading south to Bury/Manchester, or from the M66 heading north, which becomes the A56. After a few miles you will arrive at a large roundabout (the Rising Bridge roundabout). Take the Blackburn Road exit (A680) which leads into Haslingden. After approx 1/2 mile and immediately after some traffic lights, turn left steeply up Hud Rake, which becomes High Street. 400 yards further on, there is a sharp left turn on to Higher Lane. Only residents and those with disabled parking permits have vehicle access beyond this point, so download the walks leaflet, park in the town and walk up Higher Lane towards 'Halo' (approx 10 minutes). The views on the way up as well as from the top are spectacular!
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Excitement is mounting as Rossendale's Panopticon 'Halo' nears completion. The striking steel structure is already installed on Top o' Slate and the final touches are currently being put in place. A major launch event involving many local people and organisations will take place on 20 September, when the inaugural lighting of 'Halo' will take place at dusk. This is a FREE public event, please join us.
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Burnley's Panopticon, 'Singing Ringing Tree', has achieved major recognition by being named winner of a National Award for architectural excellence at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National and International Awards dinner at the Hilton Hotel in London on Friday. It is one of just 14 Award-winners from across the UK, all of which were praised for their excellence in design quality and their contribution to the local environment.
The 14 RIBA National Award winners, along with the best RIBA European Award winners, form the midlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architect’s Journal, awarded to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year. The £20,000 prize will be presented on 6 October 2007 live on Channel 4 from the Roundhouse in London.
Reacting to the Award, designer Anna Liu said, "We are very proud for Burnley and everyone who has worked on 'Singing Ringing Tree' and believed in it. Although small in comparison with the others, 'Singing Ringing Tree' has grown in the imagination and delight of many people around the world, far beyond, though completely rooted in, the hills above Burnley. Congratulations to Burnley!"
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The first stage in the construction of 'Halo', East Lancashire's fourth and final Panopticon, is now complete.
Designed by John Kennedy of LandLab, the 18m-diameter steel lattice sculpture is supported on a truncated tripod five metres above the newly landscaped ground at Top o' Slate, above Haslingden, in Rossendale. The core is open at the top, framing views of the sky. The steelwork has a natural silver appearance which will temper to matt as the galvanised finish weathers.
The second stage of the project, now under way, is the installation of lighting to create the subtle glow which will give 'Halo' its identity on the night-time landscape. Trusses, radiating from the central conical core of the structure, will support luminous blue rings, lit with low-energy LEDs. The lighting has been designed to minimise light pollution and to avoid any disruption to wildlife. The low-level electrical requirement will be met by an adjacent wind turbine providing a renewable source of power.
Image: 'Halo' in situ on Top o' Slate. Photograph by Nigel Hillier.
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Congratulations to designers Tonkin Liu, who were named as winners of a North West Region RIBA Award 2007 for 'Singing Ringing Tree' at a prestigious dinner at CUBE in Manchester last night.
The RIBA Awards are held to celebrate buildings considered to be of high architectural merit, and which make a substantial contribution to the local environment.
All RIBA Award winners are considered for the RIBA National Awards, which in turn form the longlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize. The RIBA National Award winners will be announced at the RIBA National and International Awards Dinner to be held at the London Hilton on 22 June, 2007.
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Work is now well under way on the construction of 'Halo' – the fourth and final Panopticon in the series, to be sited at Top o' Slate in Rossendale. The structure is being assembled in the workshop of local steel fabricator A D Morton in Bacup and will be erected on site in April/May. The next stage will be the installation and testing of the lighting in June/July, and it is expected that the structure will be complete by late summer.
Photograph courtesy of Booth King Partnership taken at A D Morton Ltd workshop where construction of 'Halo' is taking place.
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Burnley's Panopticon, 'Singing Ringing Tree', was officially launched today by the Mayor of Burnley, Councillor Mohammad Najib, JP, and designers Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu. In its stunning, windswept location on Crown Point, the Tree did indeed sing its low mysterious song…
Burnley MP Kitty Ussher said, "The completion of 'Singing Ringing Tree' is a fantastic accomplishment for Burnley."
To find 'Singing Ringing Tree', follow the A682 out of Burnley heading towards Rawtenstall. Turn left directly opposite The Bull pub and follow the road around. You will soon see the tree in the distance. There is a car park and a rough path down to the tree. (More...).
Image: 'Singing Ringing Tree' in situ at Crown Point, Burnley.
Take a look at a video on You Tube
And this virtual tour of the site provided by Boxroom V-Tours - you will need QuickTime installed on your computer to view this.
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In an exciting announcement made today, it was revealed that Rossendale's Panopticon 'Halo' is one of a small number of major pieces of public art to have been selected for investment by the Northern Way, a unique collaboration led by the three Northern Development Agencies which is investing £4.4 million in iconic works of art as part of an innovative £13 million cultural programme across the North.
'Halo' has been chosen, like the other artworks selected, because of its high quality and iconic potential. The Northern Way will invest £153,000 towards lighting and other strategic costs associated with the delivery of 'Halo'.
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Pendle’s Panopticon, 'Atom', was officially opened today by Mayor of Pendle, Councillor George Adams and designer Peter Meacock at a celebratory event in Wycoller Country Park. In attendance were celebrity designer Wayne Hemingway and broadcaster and entrepreneur Anthony Wilson, along with representatives of the funding bodies, the County, the Borough and ELEAN, the multi-agency partnership behind the project, led by Mid Pennine Arts.
Nick Hunt, Director of Mid Pennine Arts, commented, “By contrast with our first Panopticon in Blackburn, an urban context, 'Atom' highlights one of the most beautiful rural settings in Lancashire. We hope it will encourage a wider public to discover Wycoller and from there to go on and explore the delights of the surrounding countryside.” (More...)
Image: 'Atom' in situ in Wycoller Country Park. Photograph by Karen Williams for NWDA.
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Rossendale Borough Council last night approved plans for the commencement of works on Rossendale's Panopticon 'Halo' and the wider REMADE scheme on Top o' Slate.
REMADE and Groundwork will commence the wider site works, including the 'Halo' foundations, in December. Fabrication of 'Halo' will commence in the workshop after Christmas, with installation on site in the spring. This will be followed by the installation of the lighting and it is anticipated that the scheme will be complete by the summer.
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Burnley’s Panopticon, ‘Singing Ringing Tree’, designed by architects Tonkin Liu, has once again received critical acclaim by being selected for the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London, the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world. ‘Singing Ringing Tree’ is represented by both a model and the architects’ drawings and can be viewed in the architecture section. The exhibition runs until 20 August. Visit www.royalacademy.org.uk.
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‘Colourfields’, the first of East Lancashire’s Panopticons, was officially launched today at a celebratory event in Corporation Park by the Mayor of Blackburn, Councillor Dorothy Walsh. Nick Hunt, Director of Mid Pennine Arts and Master of Ceremonies, commented, “This is a proud day for all those who have worked so hard to achieve this first Panopticon for East Lancashire.” (More...)
Click here for a virtual tour of the stunning Blackburn Panopticon.
(If you have problems loading this file it may be because your security setting is too high.)
Virtual tour courtesy of 3d web technologies ltd.
Image: Launch of 'Colourfields'. Photograph by Steve Ashcroft for NWDA.
