EuroWire July 2017

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July 2017 29
football.” (“A Giant Stainless Steel Falcon Is Rising Up in Front of
Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” 7th May). The sculpture was designed
and assembled by Hungarian artist Gabor Miklos Szoke, who
makes a speciality of monumental steel animals and crafted the
bird at his studio in Budapest. Mr Reisigl reported that the 1,000
laser-cut pieces travelled more than 5,000 miles by container
ship to Savannah, then went by truck to Atlanta.
Special packaging was required to prevent humidity and salt
air from rusting the steel, both in transit and in the subtropical
climate of Georgia.
After the arrival of the components, in March, the sculpture was
assembled via crane. Because it weighs a whopping 36.5 tons –
the wings weigh 3.5 tons each – placement was an important
consideration. To prevent collapse under its own weight, the
structure and its platform are precisely positioned over a buried
load-bearing vertical column.
† According to Atlanta magazine, the falcon project originated
two years ago with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank,
whose artistic vision for the new stadium went beyond
the customary sports photos and paintings. But it seems
possible that a certain spirit of rivalry may also have stirred
in Mr Blank. Among the gures studied by his art committee
were the bronze panthers at Bank of America Stadium in
Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters of the Carolina
Panthers of the NFL; and the nine heroic-sized tiger statues
at Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team),
including the two prowling the scoreboard in left eld.
The beasts’ eyes light up after a victory by the home team,
to sound e ects of growling tigers.
Elsewhere in steel . . .
† In April, President Donald Trump instructed the US
Department of Commerce to commence an investigation into
imports of steel on grounds of concern for national security.
Although Chinese steel makers have a quarter of the USA
steel market – about 30 million metric tons (mt) a year – USA
authorities denied that the initiative, which could see huge
tari s placed on imports of foreign steel, targets any single
nation.
If the investigation should lead to across-the-board tari s on
steel imports, Britain’s steel makers fear they could be dealt
a heavy blow. Industry editor Alan Tovey of the Telegraph
reported that the trade association UK Steel has appealed
to Liam Fox, the secretary of state for international trade,
to contact his opposite number in the USA requesting
assurance. (“UK Steel Makers Lobby Not to Be Cut Out of Vital
American Market,” 13th May)
The USA is a leading market for British steel, taking 250,000
metric tons of the 7.6 million mt produced annually in the
UK. These exports to the USA account for $442 million in
sales each year.
† According to an article in Numismatic News Express (6th May),
since 2006 it has cost more than their face values to produce
the USA one-cent and nickel coins, and the US Mint has been
looking into cheaper alternative compositions.
Dorothy Fabian – USA Editor