Plans submitted for a Covid memorial at Saltwell Park in Gateshead
Plans have been unveiled for a Covid memorial to be installed in Saltwell Park honouring residents who lost their lives due to the pandemic.
A total of 807 Covid-related deaths were recorded in Gateshead between April 2020 and December 2023.
Now, a proposed scuplture titled ‘Circling the Void’ could be erected in the popular park’s Rose Garden, consisting of around 740 stainless steel ‘particles’ in the form of a torus, or ring.
The council’s design statement reads: “Within the brief, it was detailed that the artwork would need to acknowledge the loss of the many Gateshead lives from Covid-19 yet be thoughtful and uplifting to provide comfort for families and friends affected during the pandemic.”
It continued “As the architecture of the interior is formed around the loss of loved ones so this work forms itself around an empty space. This abstract approach allows for thought and reflection.”
The council’s application states visitors to the park and The Friends of Saltwell Park have been consulted and “gave positive feedback” on the project.
The budget for the 1.75m sculpture is between £12,000 and £14,000, including the installation of the piece.
Artist Joseph Hillier was selected by the local authority to carry out the prospective public artwork. In 2005, Mr Hillier unveiled another work in Saltwell Park, consisting of a bronze and steel human figure and an “icosahedron” – a 20-sided shape.
Mr Hillier has also had sculptures exhibited across the world, including the Royal British Society of Sculptors in London and the Carroll Gallery in New Orleans.
The monument, if approved, could be placed opposite the existing Workers Memorial in the park. The memorial, erected in 2010, commemorates those in Gateshead who died either at work or through a work-related illness.