Standing proud in Gateshead town centre is a huge Halo Sculpture designed by artist Steve Newby and Welded by Impressive Welding. The stainless steel sculpture is the largest of its kind in the world and our welding division was given the job of welding 330 separate sections together!

The sculpture has been an ongoing project since 2008 by artist Steve Newby, who is a pioneer of the use of inflated steel in art. He contacted Impressive Welding who were more than happy to be involved in this mammoth project. Our team of highly skilled engineers turned Steve’s idea into a 27-foot wide reality.  Leaning at about 66 degrees it is the largest structure in the world to be created of “inflated” stainless steel which means the metal has been treated like blown glass to make the curving shapes.

We asked Steve what made him come up with such a grand halo idea, he says the sculpture is a modern nod to the town’s steel industry traditions and the ring is a symbol of the area’s £150m regeneration. Steve advised there had been a few adjustments along the way as the initial plan was to make the Halo appear suspended in the air, nestling between two buildings, but it is now sited on the ground with fibre-optic lighting from within.