Blue Carpet

[1] At the eastern end an existing staircase, leading to an elevated walkway, was replaced with a new one, featuring a curving skin of wood ribbons, constructed by a local boatbuilder.

[3] Following the success of Anthony Gormley's Angel of the North in nearby Gateshead, Newcastle and other neighbouring authorities were keen to invest in other high profile public art commissions.

Heatherwick's design provided was an integral part of a project to improve the streetscape and context of the Laing Art Gallery, which was left marooned following the demolition of the old Victorian library in the 1960s, with a blank brick wall facing towards the city centre.

[5] In 2011 Martin Callanan, a Conservative MEP, said that he did not consider the installation to be well thought out or cost effective, and suggested that it should be replaced by more conventional paving stones.

Newcastle City Council director of strategic housing Harvey Emms stated that there were no plans to scrap the piece, which is well maintained.

At the points where this skin reaches a building the slabs curve upwards to create the sensation that the tiles are a fabric laid over the area.
The Blue Carpet . The tiles were originally a much deeper shade of blue.
The tiles have rapidly faded to a blue-grey colour, a fact that is made more obvious when damaged tiles are replaced with those of the original colour.