The Rise Sculpture in Belfast, at Sunset

The Rise sculpture in Belfast is a spherical metal sculpture designed by Wolfgang Buttress. It stands 37.5 metres high and is 30 metres wide. It is located in the centre of the Broadway roundabout, (at the junction of the Westlink and the M1) and is the gateway in and out of the city. According to Wikipedia around 80,000 cars traverse it every day.

The two concentric spheres, one inside the other are built on ‘geodesic geometry’. I always look forward to seeing the sculpture every time I drive across the Westlink and I think it is a wonderful piece of public art.

Wolfgang Buttress commented that ‘he wanted to create a sculpture that could be seen and appreciated in the round from any orientation - physical, emotional or political.’ And he added that he ‘wanted to suggest the universal, so the sculpture does not have a back or a front. It references the sun and the reeds that were here before us and can be seen as a portal to something less tangible.’