Face of Wigan

Region

United Kingdom

Associated With

Rick Kirby - sculptor

Defining Feature

5.5-metre stainless-steel portrait made from welded strips

Status

Ongoing - civic sculpture at The Wiend

Overview

Face of Wigan is a stainless-steel portrait sculpture at The Wiend, opposite Wigan Life Centre.

Designed by Rick Kirby, its 5.5-metre face is formed from hundreds of welded strips. Reflective surfaces at different angles make up the rear.

In 2007, shoppers and town-centre visitors gave feedback on several designs before the sculpture was planned for The Wiend as part of regeneration linked to Grand Arcade. Later image records date the work to 2008.

Why It Mattered

Kirby described the sculpture as a portrait of Wigan’s inhabitants. Its later appearance in local Pride reporting connected that representation with a specific community event: in 2018, it was described as painted in rainbow colours and fitted with special sunglasses. The sources do not establish how long that treatment lasted, what materials were used or what permissions were obtained.

Form and Setting

• Face of Wigan is described as a 5.5-metre-high stainless-steel sculpture made from hundreds of welded strips.
• Its rear has reflective surfaces set at different angles, contrasting with the portrait-like front.
• Wigan Council places Wigan Life Centre on The Wiend, opposite the sculpture.

Commission and Early Plans

• Later photographic records describe the sculpture as created or erected in 2008; they do not establish an installation or unveiling day.
• Later accounts reproduce a 2007 consultation in which shoppers and town-centre visitors were invited to give feedback on several designs.
• The original plan was for up to 18 months at The Wiend before a borough tour. A 2013 photograph still places it there, but does not establish whether it moved in between.
• A reproduced account links the commission to town-centre regeneration and reports almost £80,000 from Modus Properties under an agreement with Wigan Council.

Civic Reuse and Reception

• A Wigan Council portfolio captions a rainbow-covered version as “The Face of Wigan - Rebranded for Wigan Pride”.
• A local 2018 Pride report said the sculpture had been painted rainbow and fitted with special sunglasses for the festival.
• Wigan Council currently lists the Face of Wigan as eligible for illumination for qualifying awareness and community events, at an extra cost.
• A 2024 Wigan Today opinion column offers one named negative response to the sculpture; it is not a measure of wider local opinion.

Gallery