The rope balls were commissioned last year as part of the South Dunedin retail centre revitalisation plan, Dunedin City Council urban designer Peter Christos said.
The sculptures were designed by Otago Polytechnic design studies student Jess Dobson and inspired by the Donaghys Industries Ltd rope factory alongside Bathgate Park.
''The students were researching the industrial heritage of South Dunedin, as part of their studies,'' Mr Christos said.
''Their ideas were then made up into cardboard models and presented to the community and this was one of the community's favourite designs.''
The 253kg sculptures were lifted by crane into position on either side of the King Edward St retail area pedestrian crossing between 9am and 11am yesterday. The galvanised stainless steel sculptures cost $7900 each and took more than 120 hours each to make, fabricator Lawrie Forbes, of Zeal Steel, said.
''They reflect all the heavy industry that used to be here. It's schedule 40 pipe, with a 40mm thick wall. It's a very heavy-walled pipe. They'll certainly outlive us,'' he said.
''The stainless steel will ... patina and get textured as people touch it. It's starting to already.''
Mr Forbes did his apprenticeship as a boilermaker and welder at the nearby Hillside Engineering Workshops in the 1980s.
