Blue Carpet, Public art installation in front of Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
The Blue Carpet is a public art plaza in front of the Laing Art Gallery with a ground surface made from glass and resin fragments arranged in cobalt blue. The space is defined by seating steps, illuminated zones, and an elevated walkway with wooden ribbon-like staircases.
Newcastle City Council launched the public square project in 1994. After an international competition in 1996, Thomas Heatherwick Studio designed the site, marking the first major public space redesign in the city center for around a hundred years.
The space functions as a meeting point where people sit on steps, view artworks, or move through casually. The blue surface creates its own character, distinctly different from the gray stone surroundings.
The plaza is easy to navigate with wide pathways and clear walking routes around the installation. Seating is readily available throughout, both on the steps and across the paved surface, and the lighting allows the space to be used into the evening.
When individual resin slabs break and are replaced, a striking color difference appears between the glossy new tile and the weathered, duller older one. This contrast reveals the passage of time on the otherwise permanent blue surface within just a few years.
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