Could these 90ft chimneys be Yorkshire's answer to the Angel of the North?

Given a site on the outskirts of Sheffield, close to the now demolished towers, as his blank canvas, the 32 year has spent the last 12 months researching possible options. The result is Onwards and Upwards, a series of 90ft red brick chimneys, which have already caused a team of structural engineers sleepless nights.

While they are made of the same red bricks as a thousand other industrial chimneys, the final designs for the £500,000 project show that one appears to have cracked into 250 pieces, another looks as if it is floating in mid air and two more have bent over to form a bridge across the water. Most surreal of all, the final chimney on the trail appears to have been tied in a knot.

Mr Chinneck said: “This is Sheffield, so the most obvious thing would have been to create something massive out of stainless steel, but that felt far too simple. I came here with a completely open mind. I wanted the idea for the artwork to take shape while I spent time talking to people and finding out about the area’s past. I kicked lots of ideas around, but when I saw some old photographs showing the factories with these great big chimneys that once lined the canalside, that’s when I had my Eureka moment.”

Determined that the works will embrace the historic Made in Sheffield branding, it is hoped many of the materials and the engineering expertise will come from the city. Illustrator Ella Worthington, a Sheffield Hallam University graduate, has created the first artist impressions, drone-specialists Fleye has already completed a survey of the site and local firms will be invited to take part in the tendering process.

Mr Chinneck added: “Tinsley has a proud and important industrial heritage and these chimneys feel like a reflection of that. Their inner core will be made from stainless steel and I like that, because steel is also at the very heart of South Yorkshire.”

As a taster to the big reveal, one of Mr Chinneck’s previous works featuring an upside down car was brought to Tinsley last week and has so far attracted 5,000 visitors. The hope is that as well a giving local residents a reason to walk the waterway, the chimneys will also become a tourist attraction in their own right.

Councillor Mary Lea, cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure at Sheffield City Council, said: “Alex’s proposal is truly born of the place, knitting together its fascinating past and present. We hope this permanent sculpture will be embraced by the community and enjoyed by people far and wide.”

The project, due for completion in 2019, is a partnership between Sheffield City Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Tinsley Forum, Arts Council England, together with sponsors E.ON.