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[BBC News] Artist defends her gull sculpture


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Stop frittering away tax/ratepayers' money on this childish shite! And that includes gull sculptures!

 

Is it taxpayers' money or is it from elsewhere? Nobody has yet explained the funding, and I suspect the Arts Council (who commissioned the sculpture) have a duty to spend their annual budget on something rather than nothing at all. Nobody has had a cut in any other services to pay for this, you can be certain.

The gull is an iconic symbol of the Raaid ny Foillan that you see on all the signs along its route. Given the increasing profile we have as a destination for walking holidays - and the particularly good coastal walks that I am sure most people here have enjoyed - it shouldn't be a problem that we are giving this feature of our home greater status by marking it with a public work of art.... Particularly if it is contributing a hell of a lot more than £30K back to the economy :D

 

People are so quick to criticise the spending of good honest cash, and too slow to criticise and do something about the dishonest frittering of the same by public figures to line the pockets of their mates and themselves.

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£30,000 is nothing - they spent hundreds of thousands on the '3 Legs' sculpture up at Nobles Hospital, didn't they?

This is comparitively cheap when you consider parts, labour etc for both the design process and the finished item.

 

I was only thinking about that 3 legs the other day when I went past. How striking and utterly pointless it is. I know I'm on the Isle of Man - why do I need a big arty stylised metal 3 legs over the hospital entrance to remind me? More to the point, would you really give a f*ck if you were being whisked into A & E? Would a plain old sign saying 'hospital' over the entrance not have sufficed? And plain slidey doors as opposed to some giant revolving teleportation device with fake shrubbery in it?

 

It seems to be part of a policy of pointless embellishment which the govt seems to fall helplessly into every time they're already giddy with overspending. The Wedding Cake and all its trimmings is another particularly gross case. Not to mention the pretty colour-change lights on the power station chimney (now removed?) and the architectural-award-winning 'Viking sails' of the incinerator. From that, right down to frigging Celtic knotwork on dustbins and bus shelters (instead of comfortable seats you can sit on without ass-cramp).

 

Stop frittering away tax/ratepayers' money on this childish shite! And that includes gull sculptures!

 

Now I wait to be flamed, but .....

 

I like the changing colours in the power station; appeals to the gaudy side of me. Why were they turned off? I suspect because it would be an easy target after the MEA fiasco, (pretty petty, but hey). But the power station, IMO, is quite a pleasing bit of industrial architecture. The Wedding Cake is also pleasing and the skinny man three legs outside the airport is almost iconic now, but was met with a similar outcry when first commissioned.

 

If we don't allow these monuments (received as good or bad), then we will just decline into mediocrity. At least some thought is being given to the aesthetics, may not to be everyone's taste, but what is £30,000? Wouldn't even buy you a reasonably good bye-law enforcer.

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But the power station, IMO, is quite a pleasing bit of industrial architecture.

The 'prick' at the power station cost, I believe, around £180,000...which just goes to show that having 'pricks' at the MEA can be quite costly to Manx tax payers.

 

electircspike.jpg

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post-4192-1185947373_thumb.jpg

 

This is quite an interesting picture of the old Power Station.

 

Isn't it just Sods Law that when you have just set up your shot someone moves into picture.

 

Actually, I just had an idea. How about making a big sculpture of the chap in the picture and suspending it on a tripod down by the swing bridge. Far better than a gull and it would knock spots off that Angel of the North thing.

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You never know it might frighten the real ones and the pigeons away. Since they're making the cast anyway, why not get lots and spread them all over the Island?

 

Why not spend the £0££y on something interesting and useful. You could employ someone to operate a Radio Controlled Giant Gull Ornithopter to swoop all around the Harbour and Prom areas. This would provide employment for one and far more art/entertainment for Joe Public, with the major bonus of frightening the real gulls and pigeons away.

cyberhawk_lg.jpg

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Miss Take Posted Today, 04:20 PM

Have just looked at the artists' impression of what it will look like - the wing'll have someone (very tall)s eye out, mark my words.

linkage of a picture to share with the rest of use would be nice

 

Ta-Da - it's a shit pic though.

post-3388-1185959144_thumb.jpg

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Why don't they spend the £30,000 on building hikers huts around the Raaid ny Foillan to encourage people to have ago at walking it.

 

perhaps more suited for the flapgate in Peel, but here's my artists impression of manx public art.

 

4y7klfm.jpg

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From the BBC article:

 

"Krista Magee said people should also consider the benefit of art to society as well as its cost."

 

and

 

"Nobody really asks about the art and how does it benefit society."

 

so Krista, I would like to ask how this would benefit society because it seems that side of things was omitted by the article......

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"Nobody really asks about the art and how does it benefit society."

 

so Krista, I would like to ask how this would benefit society because it seems that side of things was omitted by the article......

It clearly gets people who don't know each other talking. Saying things like "which f**wit brainiac thought of that £30K waste of public money?" and "you can't spend quicker than a carpet fitter". etc.

 

Perhaps instead they should have put up a statue of the council members that voted for this - it would be a lot cheaper - especially as I hear Ann Summers has a sale on.

 

If it's made of fibreglass, then I'll give it 6 months before some 'mindless-idiot-war-memorial-damaging-chav-yob' type damages it. I don't think they've thought this one out very well.

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On the subject of the tripod supporting the plastic shitehawk, why not fit stocks between them? Just a thought...........Feltz could spend a day there on her next visit.

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Miss Take Posted Today, 04:20 PM

Have just looked at the artists' impression of what it will look like - the wing'll have someone (very tall)s eye out, mark my words.

linkage of a picture to share with the rest of use would be nice

 

Ta-Da - it's a shit pic though.

post-3388-1185959144_thumb.jpg

 

Wonder if this has undergone a full risk assessment by the Health and Safety meddlers as to the likely damage and/ or injury that would be created if it were to swing fiercely or even fall down in some of these mild winds we get from time to time. It's got to be infinitely more dangerous than a candle lit parade.

 

Just imagine, gets blown violently, swings and sticks into the side of a Doubl Decker bus causing it swerve to the left and into the harbour? What mayhem and all for £30,000.

 

Hmmm, do you think we could get all the council members who voted for this onto a bus on a windy day? Could then be money well spent.

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