Work starts on mine art project

The sculpture will stand on top of a former spoil heap

Construction work is getting under way on what has been billed as a landmark piece of public art on Merseyside.

The 20m (66ft) high Dream sculpture is being constructed near junction 7 of the M62 on the site of the former Sutton Manor Colliery, St Helens.

It takes the form of a girl's head with her eyes closed, seemingly in a dream-like state, and was chosen by a group of local ex-miners.

Council leader Brian Spencer said it would be an "incredible sight".

Spanish artist Jaume Plensa was commissioned to design the sculpture, which will be publicly launched in May as part of a Channel 4 programme called the Big Art Project.

Plensa's famous artworks include a sculpted and illuminated glass dome for the BBC's Broadcasting House in London.

This transformation is particularly poignant given the history of the site itself

Brian Spencer, council leader

He is also behind the Crown Fountain in the centre of Chicago and is currently exhibiting a work called Nosotros in front of the Petit Palais in Paris.

The work will be made up of 90 individually fabricated panels of pre-cast concrete and brought to the site in sections.

Mr Spencer, who previously worked as a miner down Sutton Manor Colliery, said: "It will be an incredible sight to witness the birth of this amazing new artwork, which will put St Helens on the map and provide a landmark sense of welcome and arrival for the region as a whole for generations to come.

"This transformation is particularly poignant given the history of the site itself.

"This unprecedented project just goes to show that hopes and dreams really can come true, and in spectacular fashion, when we all work together with a shared vision towards a common goal."

Once constructed, it will be clearly visible from the M62 between Manchester and Liverpool.