Outdoor art has been a part of many cities for a very long time. Art in the form of statues, fountains, obelisks, murals and parks with pleasure buildings brings grace and beauty to many of the world’s famous civic spaces. Indeed, public art is one of the ways in which a city proclaims itself to be an important centre for culture.

Traditionally, this kind of art has often been made of metal. In the 20th century, sculptors particularly liked bronze or marble as the material for public statues. This is because bronze and marble weather and age in interesting ways. More recently, a number of 21st-century artists have preferred to work in iron or steel, saying these metals reflect the materials of our high-tech age.

However, all this may be coming to an end. The cost of metal and other raw materials is rising. Even scrap metal prices are rising too.