A DARLINGTON firm renowned for its engineering products is turning its hand to works of art.

The Forge House Group has produced a spectacular acrylic sculpture that will be the centrepiece of the new Sunderland Transport Interchange.

Weighing 33 stones and measuring 131 feet, the piece has been designed by artist Simon Watkinson from Newcastle. It will be suspended from the the roof of the exchange by wires.

"This has been a very exciting product for us to work on," said Ron Harker, MD at Forge House. "We've worked closely with Simon and we're really happy with the final piece."

The sculpture is an abstract piece of art designed to show the history of glass making in Sunderland. Called Electrolite 2, the art work features 12 intensely coloured acrylic tubes positioned in a circle and supported by tube plates. A new type of lighting developed in the US will illuminate the tubes. The whole piece is set in concrete that has been toughed to withstand stress.

The artist considered working in glass but instead chose acrylic because it is durable and versatile and also more transparent.

Mr Harker said: "We have worked with acrylics for 30 years in an industrial and engineering environment. This expertise in the thermoforming and fabricating of acrylics combined with Simon's excellent design has produced a piece of artwork to be reckoned with."