anthony mccall's projected column shortlisted for London 2012 olympics art project

By Catherine Jones on Aug 14, 09 12:56 PM

Imagine a five kilometre high spiral of vapour twisting up from the Mersey.
That's what artist Anthony McCall has done, and now his vision has won him a place on the shortlist for the Arts Council England and London 2012's Artists Taking the Lead project.

His Projected Column "sculpture" is being backed by FACT and Liverpool Biennial and if successful will secure £500,000 to make it a reality.
The 2012 art scheme will see 12 different projects across the country, and 63-year-old McCall's is up against four others on the north west shortlist.
His idea is for a "slender, sinuous, spinning column of cloud" which will rise into the sky from the surface of the water in the Liverpool docklands.
It could rise up to 5km and on a clear day be seen from 20km away.
Apparently the column will disappear and re-appear in slow, structured sequences, "exploiting the tension between its ephemerality and its monumental scale".
However you choose to describe it, it will be pretty impressive.
All the shortlisted entries are now being given £5,000 to turn their initial proposals into comprehensive plan and the final 12 UK winners will be announced in October.
So Will Alsop may not be the last one to try and erect a cloud on the Liverpool waterfront after all....

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