"Athena", by Nasser Azam in 2012, is a 12 metre tall bronze statue that has a matt aluminium or nickel-plated finish that gives it a silver look.
The Daily Telegraph website tells us:
Tallest bronze sculpture in UK unveiled
The 12-metre high 'Athena' sculpture, designed by British-Pakistani artist Nasser Azam, will stand outside London City Airport.
The tallest bronze sculpture in the UK, the 12-metre high ‘Athena’ statue, was unveiled today outside the London City Airport.
Designed by British-Pakistani artist Nasser Azam, the ‘Athena’ statue will be visible to travellers arriving into London from the air.
Commenting on this latest piece, Azam described the sculpture as "an ambiguous form that is uplifting, inspiring and easily recognisable".
He added: "I grew up in Newham and for some time have wanted to give something back to the community there."
This is not Azam’s first sculpture to find home in London, where the artist was raised from the age of seven. In 2010, his monumental sculpture, 'The Dance’, was moved outside the Westminster Park Plaza hotel.
With the London Olympic Games commencing in under a month, the ‘Athena’ statue is another example of the ongoing regeneration of East London.
Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, described the project as "another symbol of the incredible regeneration happening in the borough".
The Azam website tells us about the sculpture and sculptor:
Used to stunning views of the East End on their landings at London City Airport, passengers will also soon be greeted by a 12-metre statue of a Greek goddess.
With back arched and arms outstretched Athena, who represents wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilisation and war, will be placed at the Airport Roundabout in Hartman Road, facing east as planes fly overhead.
London Athena is the brainchild of renowned artist Nasser Azam, who wanted to give something back to the part of London he spent his formative years in.
“I grew up in Newham and for some time have wanted to give something back to the community there,” he said.
“The location is tremendous given the development that has already taken place around Royal Docks and the planned regeneration will create a key business and leisure hub, not only for Newham, but also for London.”
Plans for the statue were agreed by Newham Council’s strategic development committee last week with the only dissenting voice the airport itself, which said the site might not be suitable.
However, Azam said it was the kind of positive centrepiece needed in the area in an Olympic year when east London will begin a whole new journey.
He said: “I developed the sculpture to be an unambiguous form that is uplifting, inspiring, easily recognizable and one that makes reference to the present and future leisure and sporting activities of the area rather than the historic industrial past.”
It’s hoped the statue, which will have a matt aluminium or nickel-plated finish, will be unveiled in early May. It will be surrounded by raised concentric rings and lit up by apparatus attached to street lights.
Nasser was born in Pakistan before moving to the capital when he was seven. He went on to study business at the University of Birmingham where he took part in a number of exhibitions. His most notable work in London lately is The Dance on the South Bank, created in 2008. He is now based at a studio in Islington.
The Greek Mythology website tells us about Athena:
Athena was the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She was the daughter of Zeus; her birth is unique in that she did not have a mother. Instead, she sprang full grown and clad in armour from Zeus' forehead.
She was fierce and brave in battle; however, she only took part in wars that defended the state and home from outside enemies. She was the patron of the city, handcraft, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She was the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus' favourite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her holy tree was the olive tree and she was often symbolised as an owl.
She became the patron goddess of Athens after winning a contest against Poseidon by offering the olive tree to the Athenians. It is evident that Athena and Athens derive from the same root; Athens (or Athenae) is in plural form, because it represents the sisterhood of the goddess that existed there. Similarly, Athena was called Mykene in the city of Mycenae (also a plural after the respective sisterhood), and Thebe in the city of Thebes (or Thebae, both plural forms).