Often times, we are amazed by peoples’ creativity. In this instance, we couldn’t help but feature the unique bridge that British artist, Steve Messam, installed. Using 20,000 sheets of bright red paper, “PaperBridge” is a self-supporting arch weighted on either side with steel gabions filled with local stone. 1,000 sheets of red paper make up a series of “blocks” which stand out against the surrounding green landscaping. What about rain, you might wonder? The bridge is seemingly weatherproof… the compression is so tight that very little water seeps into the paper. Who would have thought?
This project was commissioned by the Lakes Culture tourism organization in order to support the Lake District’s bid to be names a UNESCO World Heritage Site. PaperBridge was open to the public in May 2015 and accessible by foot only at the top of the Grisedale valley in Patterdale, UK.
Image courtesy of: This is Colossal
Up close… the “blocks” are acutally 1,000 sheets of 270gsm uncoated paper stock. In order to preserve the environment, the paper is color-fast so the red pigment won’t seep out in the rain.
Image courtesy of: This is Colossal
British artist, Steve Messam, and his dog try out the weight-bearing bridge.
Image courtesy of: Materia
