A 75-metre wind turbine blade from Siemens’ new plant in the city is centre stage as Hull, northeast England, takes its place as the UK City of Culture 2017.

The giant component forms a sculpture commissioned by multimedia artist Nayan Kulkarni called Blade and will sit in Hull’s Queen Victoria Square as the year-long cultural extravaganza gets underway.

The Hull blade plant and turbine assembly hub was opened late last year after a £310m ($389m) by the German group, which will supply a string of major offshore wind projects in UK waters.

Pictures: Christopher Furlong/Getty