Nottingham artwork to be England's biggest

LONDON, June 23 (UPI) -- "Aspire," a steel, tubular lattice planned to tower 200 feet over Nottingham, England, reportedly will be the country's tallest free-standing sculpture.

The $1.6 million public art work, which will be painted in various shades of red, is expected to be finished this week depending on the weather, The Times of London said.

It will be three times taller than Antony Gormley's "The Angel of the North" in Tyne and Wear, currently the country's tallest art project, the newspaper said.

"Aspire," which was funded by an anonymous donor, is to be the centerpiece of The University of Nottingham's new Jubilee Campus. It was designed by Ken Shuttleworth, who also worked on London's "Gherkin" building.

"Aspire" was commissioned by the university in connection with the 60th anniversary of its Royal Charter.

"We wanted it to be a symbol for those 60 years," Shuttleworth told The Times. "It takes the sandstone of Nottingham and makes it brighter. For me, there was also the inspiration of lace in Nottingham, a fantastic lace tradition."

Colin Campbell, the university's vice-chancellor, said he hopes the sculpture will show students "they can aspire to anything they want."

"University education should be a transforming experience. This will transform the skyline of Nottingham," Campbell told The Times.