 The artwork will become part of the London skyline |
A sculpture sending a shaft of light 3,000 feet (915 metres) into the sky is to be built at BBC offices in London. The sculpture by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, named Breathing, will be placed above Broadcasting House in memory of journalists who died during their work.
The glass and steel sculpture will consist of a 33-ft (10-metre) inverted spire, etched with a poem.
It will be in place by 2005, forming part of a public art programme tied in to the building's redevelopment.
John Smith, the BBC's director of property, said it was an "exceptional" piece of public art which he hoped would become a landmark on the London skyline.
Private funding
The sculpture is in part-inspired by an adjoining spire of the All Souls Church in central London, which it appears to invert.
It is also influenced by the radio mast on the roof of Broadcasting House. The premises are undergoing a major redevelopment to house BBC news staff.
At street level, the words of the poem will be accessible in text and Braille. There will also be an audio work by the artist and a relief version of the sculpture.
A BBC spokeswoman said there was no suggestion of the cost being met by licence fee payers. "It will be funded privately," she said.
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