Birmingham showed off its prowess at the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games
As unlikely as it sounds, a giant, mechanical, patchwork bull made of scrap metal has provided the emotional core of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. The “Raging bull” roared into Alexander Stadium midway through the show, pulled in by the underpaid and overworked female chain makers of the industrial revolution. He’s taken to a recreation of the Bullring—a landmark in the city that used to be a market, and is now a meeting place and shopping mall. It is made from parts sourced from local factories, referring to Birmingham’s reputation as a “city of 1,000 trades”, but the way it moves and is emotional touches the heart, as its journey mirrors that of the city. Lorell Boyce’s character, Stella, forms a friendship with a bull. ( Reuters: Hannah Mckay ) It begins with pain and fear, then breaks free from its shackles, experiences cultural tension, and finally rises back into a symbol of light and love, and remains in the center of the arena for the rest of the sho