An artist is calling on council officials to take down his most famous work after claiming that a lack of maintenance has left it in a poor state and a threat to public safety.
Liam Curtin’s Blackpool High Tide Organ was constructed along the town’s new promenade in 2002. Commissioned by Blackpool council and designed by Curtin and John Gooding, the structure is primarily made of Corten steel – the same material used for the Angel of the North sculpture.
The tide organ harnesses wave energy, pushing water up what are in essence oversized organ pipes to generate music. The artwork – which is tuned to B flat – was originally intended to stand for 12 years but there are no plans to have it removed almost two decades later.
“For almost 20 years, I’ve been begging the council to maintain this and other works, in some cases for public safety reasons,” said Curtin. “I have even, at my own cost, done some maintenance on it myself.”
According to Curtin, the steel organ…