Blue Carpet

The Blue Carpet is a piece of Public Art in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, designed by Thoma Heatherwick. Although classified as a piece of public art, it is closer to an urban design feature. The piece occupies an open public space in front of the Laing Art Gallery, close to the main shopping and nightclub areas. The square has been covered in a skin of blue paving slabs. At the points where this skin reaches a building the slabs curve upwards to create the sensation that the tiles are a fabric laid over the area. There are a number of benches that appear to fold up from the carpet surface, and beneath the benches are sunk glass topped boxes which hold coloured lights. At the eastern end an established staircase leading to an elevated walkway is encased in a curving skin of wood ribbons.