Artist takes the lead in making the North West a focal point for 2012

Column (Wind), Anthony McCall, 2010, graphite on paper, 96.5 x 137.2 cm . Credit: Courtesy of the artist

The North West is set to play host to a ground breaking artwork by internationally acclaimed artist Anthony McCall, which will see a slender, spinning column of cloud reaching into the region's skies for up to several kilometres, forming part of the Cultural Olympiad, and one of the events of the London 2012 Festival.

Column will see science and art collide to form an ever changing, hypnotic spiral of vapour, visible for miles around. The ambitious piece will rise from Wirral Waters in Merseyside, standing taller than Blackpool Tower and looking across the water to Liverpool's landmark Liver Building. This seemingly 'living' artwork will be responsive to both the weather and light conditions that surround it, appearing as a slim white column on a summer's day, as a dark line in overcast skies, and bending according to the winds. As one of the events of the London 2012 Festival, it will join the company of other major commissions from the likes of Rachel Whiteread, Akram Khan, Cate Blanchett, Mike Leigh, Damon Albarn, Rufus Norris and Jamie Hewlett.

A six foot scale model of the piece will be on show as part of Anthony McCall's current major exhibition at Ambika P3, University of Westminster. With cloud vapour hypnotically corkscrewing upwards, it provides a captivating indication of what's to come.

Column was commissioned by Arts Council England as part of Artists taking the lead, one of the most ambitious and wide-ranging art events in the UK, featuring a series of 12 public art commissions each celebrating the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements, offering everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspiring creativity across all forms of culture.

Anthony McCall has emerged as one of the most important artists of his generation. He works in a zone between sculpture, cinema and drawing, and is most famed for his series of 'solid-light' installations; a series that he began in 1973 with his seminal Line Describing a Cone.

Since the commission was announced in October 2009, McCall has been working on the logistics of this ambitious installation. Explaining the reason for the artwork's iconic site on Merseyside, the artist said: 'Wirral Waters' cavernous estuary sky, constantly shifting weather, and its available docks already makes it a compelling location for Column. The fact that Merseyside also stands as a focal point for the whole North West, makes it absolutely ideal.'

Ruth Mackenzie, Director of the Cultural Olympiad added: 'This towering idea shows the heights to which the Cultural Olympiad can climb. Anthony McCall's work is in demand by museums and galleries across the world and we are delighted that he has come up with such an outstanding and dramatic concept for our programme.'

Neil Harris, Relationship Manager, Visual Arts (Public Realm) concluded: 'Artworks such as Another Place by Antony Gormley, Turning the Place Over by Richard Wilson and Dream by Jaume Plensa, pay tribute to the unique characteristics of Merseyside as a place, whilst celebrating the skill, ambition and innovation of those living and working in an area that continues to provide both a draw and source of inspiration to artists the world over.

'Anthony McCall's Column is the most recent and possibly most challenging addition to this growing body of internationally significant commissions, responding directly to one of the area's most striking and recognisable assets - its waterfront. Combining art, science, and nature the commission will provide a striking yet subtle accent to the area's skyline, locating the cultural centre of Merseyside to an audience of thousands in the countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games and Cultural Olympiad celebrations.'

Vertical Works by Anthony McCall, presented by Sprüth Magers Berlin London, will be on display at Ambika P3 from 1-27 March 2011, and Works on Paper will show at Sprüth Magers London from 28 February-26 March 2011.

To learn more about Anthony McCall's work visit the artist's website.

Visit Column's website to read more about it. For more information about other regional commissions visit the Artists taking the lead website.

To find out more about the Cultural Olympiad and for more information about how to get involved visit the London 2012 website.

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