Oh buoy! Tunnel art show unveiled
Historic images ... Tyne Tunnel artist Lynda Nelson with TT2 boss Trevor Jackson and Elected Mayor of North Tyneside Lynda Arkley.
DRIVERS heading through the Tyne Tunnel can now get a glimpse of a South Tyneside artist’s work.
Lynda Nelson, from Jarrow, transformed three former marine buoys into pieces of art, featuring historic railway poster-style images of the North Tyneside’s coast.
And after months of work, they are now situated at the tunnel’s northbound exit on the other side of the river.
Lynda created and hand-painted the designs on the 10ft buoys, which include St Mary’s Lighthouse, Tynemouth Priory and a surfer, in response to the theme ‘Gateway to the Coast’.
The £15,000 scheme is a joint project involving North Tyneside Council and Tyne Tunnel operator TT2. North Tyneside Elected Mayor Linda Arkley said: “I’m delighted we’re giving motorists an extra special welcome as they arrive in North Tyneside.
“These buoys have been expertly painted.”
Trevor Jackson, managing director of TT2, said: “Our customers are delighted at the transformation to their daily lives since both tunnels have come into use.
“We’ve seen a rapid increase in traffic numbers but still no queues whatsoever.
“With this feel good atmosphere at the Tyne Tunnels, the new artwork is the perfect finishing touch to buoy people for their onward journeys into North Tyneside.”
Lynda added: “I’m really happy with the way the buoys have turned out.
“I’ve taken a drive through the tunnel already to see how they look, and I think they fit in nicely with all of the landscaping work that has been done around the tunnel exit.
“I’m amazed by how many motorists will see them each day, and I hope they’ll be enjoyed for years to come.”
The New Tyne Crossing was completed last month and offers two dual carriageway road tunnels under the Tyne, one for southbound traffic and the other for northbound.
The buoys are sited at the exit of the northbound tunnel, which underwent a major transformation to bring it up to the modern standards of the newly- constructed tunnel.
Lynda’s designs were chosen after artists nationwide were invited to submit bids for the work, with seven shortlisted.
She has worked across the region, and her designs adorn walls at schools in South Tyneside including Westoe Crown, Ridgeway, Simonside and Ashley primary schools in South Shields.
verity.ward@northeast-press.co.uk
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Friday 25 May 2012
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