Focus on this artwork and explore the Construction and moiré effect.
Costing in excess of £200,000, Guardian is made from over 20,000 horizontal strips of a special 10 mm (0.4 in) thick COR-TEN weathering steel, which allows a protective rust patina to form on its surface. Each strip is separated from but connected to the next so that, from a distance, The Guardian appears almost transparent. Close up and from the appropriate angle, the gaps between the strips disappear to give the appearance of a solid sculpture with full definition of all of its features. This style of construction creates a moiré effect where the steel sections appear to move or shimmer in the light. The statue itself is 12.6 m (41 ft) tall, weighs around eight tonnes and stands on a sandstone plinth 7.4 m (24 ft) tall. It has been compared to Sir Antony Gormley's Angel of the North.
Angel of the North COR-TEN weathering steel moiré effect weathering steel The Guardian Antony Gormley