A piece of art that will have shoppers talking about it was unveiled on Monday.

Called Threshold, it resembles a huge mirror in a finished stainless steel doorframe.

The five-metre high piece, which has been installed at the southern end of Gateshead High Street, near Matalan and Durham Pine stores, is designed to be interactive.

As people pass through the doorway, they will trigger a response from inside the sculpture, including Gateshead residents reciting dozens of stories as well as North-East songs, recorded by artist Lulu Quinn.

Movement monitors in the sculpture will sense people passing through, triggering voices and sound effects such as the opening of a door.

Gateshead Borough Council chiefs hope it will act as a doorway into the town centre, and will stimulate the ears, as well as the eyes, of thousands of passers-by.

The project has been funded and supported by Gateshead council, the Government's Single Regeneration Budget, the Gateshead Town Centre Partnership, One NorthEast, and High Point Estates, developers of Matalan and Durham Pine stores.