And then there were two. Why we can't have nice things

damien haas said :

2604 said :

Gungahlin Al said :

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

That’s a bit rich Al. I wish I had a dollar for every time you’ve mentioned Tony Abbott and the perils of an Abbott-led government on this forum.

gungahlin al abbott site:the-riotact.com = 205 results = $205.

Good one Damien. So every thread I’ve made a comment in where Abbott is also mentioned counts as a mention BY me? Have a squiz back through your search results.

2604: It’s all about the context. This is a thread about vandalism of public art. “City administrators” were blamed, who last time I looked were the relevant MLAs. Masquara then clarified she intended that to mean public servants rather than MLAs. Fair enough. Then she attributed a comment made by NoImRight to me and went on an attack. “Unhinged”? Please.
It goes to track record, exhibit A: http://the-riotact.com/the-great-civic-40-zone-unveiled/101605/comment-page-2#comment-473155

But the revelation that the piece wasn’t designed for open use is interesting and if it can’t be modified to make it vandal resistant then it certainly should be relocated. It isn’t like there aren’t plenty of art pieces in City Walk anyway. It’s getting so you can’t read your Twitter feed while walking without cracking your shin on something…

For the record, for the two public art pieces to which I had design input (the Bunyip and the rocky outcrop both in Gungahlin), being able to be climbed all over and still not be prone to damage were principle concerns. I’ve seen far too much damage done to great art pieces made of poor material choices like glass or sandstone. Arts budgets are constrained enough as is, without them being sucked up by expensive repairs.

JazzyJess said :

I wouldn’t discount a very determined bogan from ruining any of the public artworks around Canberra. Didn’t someone steal one of the sheep a few years ago? Those things are bolted to the ground and it still wasn’t safe.

Yep. They stole a forklift (or something similar), drove it into Civic and made off with a sheep.

c_c™ said :

Wonder what they’re made of and is it conductive.

Bronze. Should conduct pretty well. Although the kids who climb on it wouldn’t be too impressed.
The bronze is also (supposedly) the reason it keeps getting stolen. It’s easy to melt and re-sell. Although the little fat men are so adorable that wouldn’t be surprised if they’re kept as garden ornaments.

Leaving aside Gungahlin Al’s unmeasured – if not unhinged – responses, I maintain that any city administrator with a modicum of common sense would have removed the sculpture the FIRST time the small figure was stolen, and would have put it in a more secure, while public, space. It has been simply bizarre watching this happen over the last year or so – particularly as it’s such a loveable work.

c_c™ said :

Wonder what they’re made of and is it conductive. Surely wouldn’t be hard to wire it up with some current, nothing deadly just enough to make extended contact unpleasant even to a drunk began impressing their mates by stealing.

Trouble is that it probably wouldn’t stop the arseholes from resorting to roundhouse kicks(Chuck Norris style) to knock the smaller humans off the staircase or whacking it with a small sledgehammer!

2604 said :

Gungahlin Al said :

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

That’s a bit rich Al. I wish I had a dollar for every time you’ve mentioned Tony Abbott and the perils of an Abbott-led government on this forum.

Back on topic, this is a fantastic piece of artwork. But it is obviously far too susceptible to damage / theft / vandalism to be kept in Garema Place, which is often all but deserted in the middle of the night and therefore an ideal place for thieves/vandals to strike.

It should be moved to a public building (somewhere like the Civic Library), where people can admire it during the day, but where it’s safely locked away at night.

An excellent suggestion. Even putting it in that nice square between the Assembly and the CMAG would keep it out of the average drunkards stagger route.

2604 said :

Gungahlin Al said :

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

That’s a bit rich Al. I wish I had a dollar for every time you’ve mentioned Tony Abbott and the perils of an Abbott-led government on this forum.

gungahlin al abbott site:the-riotact.com = 205 results = $205.

Gungahlin Al said :

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

That’s a bit rich Al. I wish I had a dollar for every time you’ve mentioned Tony Abbott and the perils of an Abbott-led government on this forum.

Back on topic, this is a fantastic piece of artwork. But it is obviously far too susceptible to damage / theft / vandalism to be kept in Garema Place, which is often all but deserted in the middle of the night and therefore an ideal place for thieves/vandals to strike.

It should be moved to a public building (somewhere like the Civic Library), where people can admire it during the day, but where it’s safely locked away at night.

Gungahlin Al said :

Masquara said :

.

I believe you’re referring to a comment that I did not make. Now you were talking about ignorance?

That is Masquara’s special subject.

Masquara said :

NoImRight said :

Masquara said :

Gungahlin Al said :

Masquara said :

Cannot overemphasise the crassness of our city administrators. Letting this happen is just not cool.

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

Bizarro knee-jerk response. The public servants don’t change with a change of government, Gungahlin Al.

So make the link between why public servants are crass and how its their fault this has happened?

Well, Gungahlin Al, you clearly don’t know anything about how the officials responsible for publicly owned art need to work to protect valuable objects! They’ve failed the most basic requirement there. Displaying your ignorance there, while being unnecessarily abusive and introducing an, er, “red” herring.

I believe you’re referring to a comment that I did not make. Now you were talking about ignorance?

NoImRight said :

Masquara said :

Gungahlin Al said :

Masquara said :

Cannot overemphasise the crassness of our city administrators. Letting this happen is just not cool.

For Pete’s sake, can’t you leave your Labor-hating spin at the door for ANY topic?

Bizarro knee-jerk response. The public servants don’t change with a change of government, Gungahlin Al.

So make the link between why public servants are crass and how its their fault this has happened?

Well, Gungahlin Al, you clearly don’t know anything about how the officials responsible for publicly owned art need to work to protect valuable objects! They’ve failed the most basic requirement there. Displaying your ignorance there, while being unnecessarily abusive and introducing an, er, “red” herring.