A WORK of art celebrating the mining heritage and ongoing regeneration of a North-East city has been been unveiled.

The semi-transparent steel sculpture of two human heads – one looking inwards and one looking out – has been built around a pair of gas vents which ventilate the former Wearmouth Colliery mine workings, in Sunderland.

The work, called Looking out, Facing in, has been installed next to the Sunderland Aquatic Centre and the Stadium of Light It is based on Janus, the Roman god of doorways, who has come to represent looking to the future while remaining mindful of the past.

Sunderland Mayor Councillor Dennis Richardson said: “While it is built around the gas vents which remind us of our mining heritage, Looking out, Facing in is located in part of Sunderland which visibly demonstrates the city’s future.”

Looking out, Facing in is part of a public art and landscaping design project led by Sunderland City Council in partnership with Sunderland Arc, the Coal Authority and One North East. The heads were created by Frankfurt-based artists Wolfgang Winter and Berthold Hoerbelt who have also created works in New York, Yokohama, in Japan, and for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Mr Winter said: “The gas vents are relics from the old days of coal mining but the aim is not to conceal, but include them in the work, so we used see-through mesh.

“The steel mesh is also deliberately reminiscent of a bird cage. This relates to the traditional mining practice of using a canary in a cage to test for gas in the mine workings.”