What is the significance of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Raging Bull?
The Raging Bull, The Bullring, and The Bronze Bull - Birmingham has a long history with bulls and the animals' legacy continues to grow as big events such as the Commonwealth Games draw attention to them once more.
Bull sculptures can be found around Birmingham but the city's new and biggest bull has drawn the attention of people around the world.
What is the bull in Birmingham?
The hustle and bustle of tourists in Birmingham is because of the Commonwealth Games but the buzz around Centenary Square is all for the newest addition of Birmingham's bull-related attractions - The Raging Bull.
The Raging Bull is one of the biggest and most popular attractions in Birmingham 2022 at the moment.
It was launched at Alexandra Stadium during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in an audience-gripping performance.
The bull and the dancers around it were directed by Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight.
The enormous machine stands ten metres tall and is able to breathe out steam through its nostrils and move around.
Why is the bull significant to Birmingham?
The Raging bull nods towards Birmingham's history of the bull ring market, a place where bulls were once held before slaughter, and the workers of the industrial revolution.
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games organisers, said the raging bull was led into the games' opening ceremony by "underpaid, overworked female chain-makers of the Industrial Revolution, trapped by their own circumstances as they produce the bonds that hold others in the slave trade."
The performance from the bull and its dancers is said to signify how women broke free during a minimum wage strike in 1910.
Where is the Commonwealth Games Raging Bull in Birmingham?
After the Birmingham 2022 opening ceremony on July 28th, the impressive 10-metre-artwork made its way to Centenary Square on Broad Street.
The bull was scheduled to be removed from the City Centre when the games finished on August 8th, but after it proved to be a fan favourite organisers said it would remain for visitors to see until the end of September.
Why is the Raging Bull controversial?
The Birmingham 2022 bull came under criticism during the games after families of victims from the Birmingham pub bombings found out their loved ones' names featured on its head.
Many viewers missed the tribute to the 21 victims of the IRA atrocity during the opening ceremony.
Bull organisers reportedly admitted that not involving the families had been a mistake.
They said their "Intentions were honourable and respectful" but apologised unreservedly' for not seeking families' permission beforehand, the BBC reports.
What is the real name of the bullring Bull?
Another bull that can be found in Birmingham is The Bronze Bull located just outside the shopping centre the Bullring.
The bronze bull is officially known as The Guardian.
The six-tonne bronze figure was installed by sculptor Laurence Broderick in 2003.
It is twice the size of a real bull and rests on a hidden plinth beneath the paving.
It is recognised worldwide as an iconic sight alongside the likes of New York’s Statue of Liberty and Michelangelo’s David.
The sculpture was also named one of the world’s top ten public works of art in 2015.
Where did the name the Bullring come from?
The Bronze Bull stands proudly outside Birmingham's big shopping centre the Bullring.
It gets its name from a bull ring market and a butcher's shambles which formerly resided where the Bullring stands.
A bull ring market used to be used as a space to not only sell meat but for bull-baiting, a viewer spectator sport where a bull would be attached to a ring and dogs would attack it.
The market is placed next to a butcher's shambles which is a place for bulls to wait until they are slaughtered.