Egg of the East scrambled in Gants Hill
The “Egg of the East”, which will stand tall as a towering Gants Hill landmark, has yet to hatch into life after hitting delays.
The 16m (52ft) high structure was supposed to have been installed on the Gants Hill roundabout early this year.
But safety checks and other planning processes which need to be completed before the artwork can be put in place have pushed back its unveiling to no earlier than early Autumn.
And the installation, described as an “abstracted egg”, is sure to divide opinion once it does find its home on the roundabout, which in October was formally reopened after year-long roadworks.
Gants Hill regeneration champion Cllr Ruth Clark said: “We have to go through so many processes which is why it’s a bit later than planned.”
Speaking about the artwork itself she said: “It will be iconic. Whether people like it or not, it will put Gants Hill on the map.
“The concept of it is quite amazing. The egg represents regeneration and new life.
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“I’m calling it the Egg of the East.”
Award-winning Nottingham artist Wolfgang Buttress has designed the steel, bronze and wire structure.
Funding for the �80,000 work of art has come from developers in the area, as part of a section 106 planning agreement.
Gants Hill Business Partnership chairman John Clark said: “We’re waiting to be told what’s going on with it because it was ordered ages ago.
“It’ll be nice to get it up because it will be the finishing touches to the works.”
A spokesman for Redbridge Council said: “Transport for London are currently checking the artist’s proposals for making and erecting the structure and deciding on how the structure will be inspected and maintained once it’s installed. Once the approvals are in place, the piece is expected to take about three months to make.”
