'Connection' by Helen Pailing

Connection, by Helen Pailing is a sculpture inspired by the industrial heritage of Middlesbrough and the railway station’s fundamental role in bringing people together. Blog post about the background here, and more images on Helen's website here.

Bridge-making with second-hand Meccano, was the starting point for the project. Helen worked with local people and students to playfully explore ideas around connectivity, using Meccano and joining materials such as thread, elastic and LED wire. Through this initial engagement and with knowledge garnered from the North East Meccano Society, Helen designed an intricate artwork to span the new atrium space in the ticket office.

The triangular shape celebrates the most frequently used form in bridge construction, the black lines are a direct reference to the Transporter’s gondola cables and the mirrored elements, with a lighting aspect, reflect the panels within the grand entrance hall. The patterns formed with the Meccano appear more like a tapestry than an exercise in mechanical engineering. Still, in keeping with the ethos of Meccano, Helen wishes the artwork might ‘inspire the next generation of makers’.

Thanks to the North East Meccano Society, Teesside University design students and staff, OK Café Bereavement support group, EDable Architecture, Newman Scaffold, Sean Barnes and Zara King.

Connection was commissioned for Middlesbrough’s Most Creative Station – a project delivered by Navigator North as members of Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership, and supported through The Cultural Development Fund, a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) fund administered by Arts Council England