A grand day out in Sheffield 6 - Nine steel balls

Outside the Winter Gardens is Millennium Square, a triangular open public space which was designed by architects Allies and Morrison as part of Sheffield's 'Heart of the City' project.  Within the 'square' is another piece of sculptural artwork, in the shape of these stainless steel spheres. Look carefully into the reflection and you can see that there are more than just the two; balls reflect in balls, reflect in balls, and actually, there are nine in total.

Created by sculptor Colin Rose, winner of the 2003 competition to create a piece of artwork for this location, the nine stainless steel spheres are designed to represent raindrops which have just landed on the surface of the square. They vary in size, the largest being two metres in diameter, and are clustered in groups scattered across the granite paving.

When the weather is not so cold, these balls are water features, their surfaces shimmering with the flow of the running water. At night, they are lit up by coloured LED lights.

(I can see yet another reason for a return trip here! This city has much more to offer than I have yet seen!)

Of course, the use of stainless steel is a celebration of the industry which made Sheffield famous across the globe, but the shape distorts the reflections, reminding me of the old fashioned Hall of Mirrors in a fairground attraction. Look carefully into this last sphere and you can make out the squashed idiot with the camera, accompanied by the friend who now appears to have an extremely eloooooongated neck!

I'm linking up with the marvellous Jenny Matlock and Alphabe-Thursday, which this week, has reached the letter 'n'.