Work will be completed within the next few weeks on the biggest public artwork ever commissioned in Northern Ireland.

Once completed, RISE will tower 37.5 metres – or 123 feet – above the city's Broadway roundabout.

Construction of the sculpture – by the Nottingham artist Wolfgang Buttress – is expected to be completed in the latter half of this month.

RISE is made up of two globes, one inside the other, cast in silver and white steel, symbolizing the rising of the sun and new hope for Belfast's future.

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When finished, RISE will appear to rest on a bed of reeds – a reference to the natural heritage of the neighbouring Bog Meadows. There will be lights at the end of each 'reed' reflecting on the two globes.

The twin globes – made up of more than 65,000 individual parts – have been manufactured at the M Hasson and Sons Ltd steelworks in Rasharkin.

The innermost globe, measuring 15 metres in diameter was completed two weeks ago, and work is progressing well on assembling the outer globe: when the bottom half of the outer globe is assembled, the inner globe will be placed inside it, and then the rest of the outer one assembled around it.

When completed, toward the end of June, RISE will be visible to the 65,000 people who use the M1 and Westlink daily, as well as from the air by more than 2.5 million passengers travelling in and out of George Best City Airport every year.

(GK/KMcA)