Joe GallopPlans are being finalised to make Birmingham New Street station the new permanent home of the Commonwealth Games 2022‘s Raging Bull, six months on from the end of the event.
During the opening ceremony, the 10-metre-high armoured bull was pulled on stage by 50 women representing the female chain-makers of the Industrial Revolution, who later broke free from their chains to symbolise release from oppression.
After the ceremony the bull later sat in the city centre’s Centenary Square for several weeks, before moving to a temporary storage facility in Ladywood. It is currently in a workshop in south east England.
The Raging Bull, which was not intended to be used after the Games, is having a winter makeover to ensure it is fit for its new home and to turn it into a static sculpture, aiming for a summer 2023 arrival. Final details are being worked through to make sure the design is compliant with building and fire regulations.
The artwork was made from machinery from Birmingham and West Country factories, and was designed, built, and mechanised by a team of over 50 people from UK-based special effects company Artem.
Birmingham 2022 CEO Ian Reid said, “The response to the Raging Bull both in Birmingham and beyond was incredible and all Games partners have been keen to ensure that we were able to permanently display this Birmingham 2022 icon in the host city.
“We would like to say a big thank you to Network Rail for taking on ownership and responsibility for the Raging Bull and we hope that his presence will be an ongoing reminder of the superb summer of 2022 and that he will continue to be a key attraction for visitors to Birmingham for years to come.”
Leader of Birmingham City Council Cllr Ian Ward said, “We had five million visitors to the city centre during the period of the Games and the interest has remained at a high level ever since. We are shaping plans to recreate the same exciting atmosphere we enjoyed last year because culture is a key part of the Games legacy and we will be announcing more details soon.”