Twisted Chimney

New York artist Brian Tolle was commissioned to design this £180,000 sculpture, entitled Simnai Dirdro (Twisted Chimney), in Butetown, Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly, South Wales. It was installed in 2011.

It was Tolle’s first permanent sculpture in the UK, and the project was funded through the Heads of the Valleys Initiative Programme. It was erected on the site of a former steelworks. 

Surprisingly, the 8m-high sculpture contains no bricks. It was hand-carved from polycarbonate over a steel frame, then coated in 6mm of Armour-Lyte for durability and strength, before being hand painted by theatre company Steel Monkey.

On the whole, it's been positively received. However, it has its detractors. 

One local told Wales Online, 'I wouldn’t have it outside my house, that’s for certain. When you look at Rhymney and the state of the shop fronts, there are a lot of things that sort of money could be spent on.' 

It's a common criticism of public art and, no doubt, these austere times add even more poignancy to the issue. However, there's more to life than simple utility. What would a world be like without art and poetry and literature and music and dance? 

Well, I'm sorry, but these things cost money. Artists need to pay bills too.

And I, for one, would be a lot sadder if I had to live in a world without art.