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| Towering art rises at university | Towering art rises at university |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The final part of the tallest piece of freestanding public art in the UK is being put into place. | |
| Aspire, a 60m (197ft) tube of steel pipes, will stand over the University of Nottingham's Jubilee campus. | Aspire, a 60m (197ft) tube of steel pipes, will stand over the University of Nottingham's Jubilee campus. |
| University officials said the sculpture will be 40m (130ft) taller than the Angel of the North and 8m (26ft) taller than Nelson's Column. | |
| The £800,000 structure, paid for by an anonymous benefactor, is designed to represent academic ambition. | The £800,000 structure, paid for by an anonymous benefactor, is designed to represent academic ambition. |
| It was named following a competition involving the university's 6,500 staff and 36,000 students. | |
| Wembley architect | |
| University spokesman Jonathan Ray said: "It represents limitless ambition, the power to change your life through education. | University spokesman Jonathan Ray said: "It represents limitless ambition, the power to change your life through education. |
| "It also says something positive about Nottingham and it reminds people there is a lot of good stuff about the city. | "It also says something positive about Nottingham and it reminds people there is a lot of good stuff about the city. |
| "A few years ago we had a hard time but this is about the future and a really positive vision for the city." | "A few years ago we had a hard time but this is about the future and a really positive vision for the city." |
| Aspire was designed by architect Ken Shuttleworth, who worked on the new Wembley Stadium and the Millennium Bridge. | |
| Night illumination | |
| The spire's steel lattice design in part reflects Nottingham's industrial heritage, particularly its lace making for which it was a major centre. | |
| Each metre of the sculpture represents one year since the university gained its royal charter. | |
| It exceeds the height of the previous holder of the UK record for the tallest piece of freestanding public art, Manchester's B of the Bang, by 4m (13ft). | |
| Aspire will be mounted on a 7m concrete plinth and officially unveiled on 14 July - when it will be illuminated at night. |