Antony Gormley's "Angel of the North" is very impressive up close. Interesting, too, there are several ideas behind it ― it's a memorial to lost industries that once defined the area ― coal mining and ship building. The Angel is made out of ship steel, using the techniques for ship building, and it stands on a site of a former mine (is actually anchored in the mine shaft). It also symbolizes the transition from an industrial to an information age ― the Angel is literary there to tell the story about these industries. And, being an Angel, it offers some hope for the better future, as the area devastated by loss of income tries to redefine itself (the Angel brings thousands visitors there).

But whatever the purpose, it is a great sculpture.