Bridge

Commissioned by the Dundee Partnership as part of the Ambassador Routes project, intended to “reflect the history of the rail bridge”. Cocker originally wanted the work to be in bronze and have a more fluid form relating to the river, but the decision to make it in granite necessitated a simpler form. The post and beam structure with cantilever echoes the bridge construction, and the curve suggests the way the bridge curves at the Dundee end. Although strong and safely constructed, the balanced cylinder should look like it mght fall, symbolising the disaster. Although it had been hoped to use Scottish granite, the cost was prohibitive so the work was made in China. The artist intended the cylinder to have a graded finsh from flamed to polished, to suggest the sun reflecting on the river, but the Chinese makers misunderstood this and made three distinct sections with different finishes. The artist had also hoped for more subtle lighting built into the ground.