15-metre-tall sculpture to be installed in city centre park

Based in the under-construction park on the site of the former Hall Ings car park, the ornate sculpture will celebrate the “diverse fabric of the city”. 

Artist Saad Qureshi, whose work has been displayed in New York, London, and New Delhi, has been commissioned by Bradford City of Culture – the organisation behind the yearlong celebration – to develop the huge sculpture.

It will be based in the park from February 2025 to March 2026.

Artist’s impression of the Tower of Now (Image: Saad Qureshi)

A planning application for the ‘installation of a Tower of Now sculpture’ has now been submitted to Bradford Council by the 2025 team.

It says the sculpture will explore “British identity within the diverse fabric of the city.”

It adds: “With the inclusion of soundscapes in the mother tongues of local residents, the tower is a testament to the richness of cultural exchange.”

The former site of the Hall Ings car park is currently being transformed into an urban park as part of works to pedestrianise swathes of the city centre.

The application continues: “The sculpture by the artist Saad Qureshi, which was commissioned by Bradford City of Culture to make a significant contribution to a programme of installations celebrating Bradford’s contribution to culture in the UK.

“The sculpture will be in the centre of Bradford for the period between approximately February 2025 and March 2026.

“Therefore, to minimise disruption to the park from the installation of the sculpture only three months after opening, the decision has been made to install the foundations prior to the final design of the superstructure.

“The sculpture itself is a 15m tall cantilevering structure, which has a maximum diameter of 3m.

“It is situated on the resin-bonded gravel finish of the park and is over 15m away from the highway and the northern, southern and eastern boundary. To the west, there is a residential block of flats 13m away.

“The sculpture will be fabricated from steel and treated ply, transported in one piece from the fabrication yard to site, and craned into position onto the foundation from Hall Ings. Hall Ings is a newly pedestrianised street to the north of the site.”

A decision on the application is expected before the end of the year.

When contacted by the Telegraph & Argus, Bradford 2025 said more information would be provided on the sculpture at a later date.