The northeast of England’s newest landmark was closed to allow it to become a “musical instrument”. More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunderland’s recently-opened Northern Spire bridge across the River Wear for Sunday’s one-off event. Visitors were able to listen to sounds of the bridge and view it through specially designed seaside-style kaleidoscopes called Wonderloopers.
The bridge – the first in the city for 40 years – opened at the end of August. Wonderloopers were made from spare parts of the Northern Spire bridge.
Fourteen of the devices placed at different points along the bridge allowed users to listen to the wind passing through and over its metal cabling.
Ms Mainstone said: “We’ve been working with communities on both sides of the river and had the idea to use off-cuts from the pipes to create giant musical kaleidoscopes to look at the bridge and the environment differently.
“The idea for the name came about when I first moved to Sunderland and a friend of mine said ‘enjoy yourself in wonderland’.
“We made the Wonderloopers to look like giant seaside kaleidoscopes.
“So when you pop your head inside you view the bridge through this kaleidoscope and hear the sounds of the bridge accompanied by some musical soundscapes and interviews with local people about their experiences of Sunderland.”