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Interactive tower to celebrate language diversity

LDRS Four computer generated images of a tower with intricate designs and layers. The image is black and white and an image of a person has been placed next to it for scale.LDRS
Plans have been submitted for the structure to be built on the site of the former Hall Ings car park

Plans for a 15m (49ft) interactive tower that would play soundscapes with voices in different languages have been submitted in Bradford.

The artwork, named the Tower of Now, would be created by artist Saad Qureshi as part of the UK City of Culture 2025.

If approved, the sculpture would be displayed on the site of the former Hall Ings car park from February 2025 until March 2026, according to planning documents.

A spokesperson for the festival said the artwork would "make a significant contribution to a programme of installations celebrating Bradford’s contribution to culture in the UK".

The application describes the artwork as a “testament to the richness of cultural exchange”.

Mr Qureshi, whose work has been displayed in New York, London and New Delhi, also created an exhibition for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park called Something About Paradise in 2020.

LDRS Two small vans with high visibility patterns on them are parked on a concrete area. Pallets piled with construction materials are on the right of the vans. An area in front of them has been dug up and there is a pile of concrete. In the background are two trees, a wall and a building. LDRS
The car park on Hall Ings was closed as part of plans for a pedestrianised area in the city centre

A decision on the application is expected before the end of the year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Work has been under way at the former Hall Ings car park site to transform it into an urban park.

Bradford's UK City of Culture year is set to deliver more than 1,000 performances and events, including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals as well as national and international collaborations.

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