The Dream (sculpture)

"The Dream" is the title of several notable sculptures created by different artists. As such, a description requires disambiguation to be meaningful. This entry discusses the most well-known sculpture bearing this title: the artwork created by Jaume Plensa.

Jaume Plensa's "The Dream" is a public art sculpture located in Sutton, St. Helens, Merseyside, England. Commissioned as part of the Big Art Project, and funded through the Channel 4 television station, the sculpture was completed in 2009. It is a 20-metre (66 ft) high elongated head of a young woman, with her eyes closed in a meditative state, fabricated from pre-cast, heavily reinforced concrete units clad in brilliant white dolomite aggregate.

The sculpture is situated on the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery, a coal mine that operated for over a century. Plensa's design was chosen to reflect both the history of the site and the hopes for its future. The white color contrasts sharply with the dark landscape and symbolizes purity and aspiration. The closed eyes represent a moment of reflection, tranquility, and the potential for new beginnings.

The creation of "The Dream" was complex, involving significant engineering challenges due to its size, unusual shape, and the geological constraints of the former mine site. The sculpture quickly became a local landmark and a symbol of regeneration for the area, attracting visitors and contributing to a sense of community pride. It has been widely discussed in the context of public art and its role in transforming industrial landscapes.