THE SKYWHALE UNVEIL

johnboy said :

Those of you who have never heard of an artist who has exhibited at the Venice Bienalle really need to stop thinking your opinion of an artist’s stature is of any interest to anyone.

Your opinion on the validity of this work is one thing. Your own ignorance is not a proof of anything.

Most of us are well of Patricia’s work JB,her work is hard to ignore, – it’s really good – collectively, a Canberran success.

I think the point your missing mate is she is obviously taking the piss out of people like you, the government and the harshest critics. (bare with me)…

Throughout history, artists have purposefully delivered outrageously poor works for state/religous/activist commissioned projects. They do it for several reasons: a) to take the piss out of the society paying for it, b) to earn reliable income, c) to highlight the gap between inspired art and top-down state-sponsered endevours, and d) to expose the problems of a socitey.

Inevitably, some of the more incredulous in our society will inflate their ego via smug discourse combined with a minorty consensus of art appresiation. In a few decades they may or may not realise the joke was on them.

poetix said :

I found the sight of the balloon very moving. It is a peaceful and whimsical creature, and the vitriol being unleashed upon it is quite amazing. It is unsettling in some ways, evading easy categorisation, but how people can look at wings of breasts and become apoplectic is beyond me.

A little boy was taken on Skywhale’s first Canberra flight, being helped into the basket at the last moment. What a memory for him!

This is the Centenary event that has shown the most imagination and courage. There was a real feeling of support at the launch, as if people were helping the whale up into the air, above all the negativity that has been directed towards this mysterious and playful creation.

God bless Skywhale and all who Jonah themselves!

Mysterious and playful indeed.
I wonder if the designer intended that the boobs (or cum filled condoms, as I prefer) would in fact float horizontally when the balloon was inflated for flight?
It seems that the air in the boobs/frangers is cooler than the air in the rest of the envelope/french letter and that is why they sag.
While I admire your enthusiasm for this aircraft Mrs P, personally I feel that everytime it takes to the sky it should have a giant paper bag on its head…

Typically, I don’t rail against elitism, but this such an obvious example of elite taste (ie, something most don’t appreciate irrespective of its artistic merit) triumphing over the majority that it is insulting. The balloon is meant to celebrate this city – not art in general. If we want to be challenged, it is simple to go to the NGA, portrait gallery etc. Why should we have this thrust in front of us as an apparent representation of us when it simply a big, ugly piece of crap? And, yes I did go to see it before i judged.

snowygurl said :

On a more positive artistic note, Wolfgang Buttress’ new astronomy sculpture in the ANU science precinct is worth having a gander at (in my humble opinion). That’s my definition of intriguing.

Interesting yes, but is it particularly provoking?

(Offtopic, but I’ll steam on ahead regardless), I have a (tiny) problem with the design of Buttress’ speckled ball: the internal globe gets *filthy* after a few days of dust/dew, and there is no (easy) way to clean it. After a few days the intended visual effect is ruined by grime.

Saw a couple of guys trying to strap rags onto the end of sticks to clean it. Just think about the size of the internal globe, the size of the holes, the cleaning range a rag-on-the-end-of-a-stick would have… that’s a lot of time wasted on cleaning something that only gets dirty due to poor design.

I found the sight of the balloon very moving. It is a peaceful and whimsical creature, and the vitriol being unleashed upon it is quite amazing. It is unsettling in some ways, evading easy categorisation, but how people can look at wings of breasts and become apoplectic is beyond me.

A little boy was taken on Skywhale’s first Canberra flight, being helped into the basket at the last moment. What a memory for him!

This is the Centenary event that has shown the most imagination and courage. There was a real feeling of support at the launch, as if people were helping the whale up into the air, above all the negativity that has been directed towards this mysterious and playful creation.

God bless Skywhale and all who Jonah themselves!

When’s Robyn leaving? Perhaps we could give her a genuine farewell complete with skywhale-inspired birdman rally and ask her to take the first leap? When can we dispense with these crap centenary ‘celebrations’? We are Canberra. Bogan and proud. Meat on a stick. Beer in the midday sun. Frolicking on bikes. Giving the finger to da man! Enjoying the outdoors or going down the coast. Laughing at the belco bird. These are but few of the things that make this place great-not a f###ing balloon that looks like cross between HG Wells and freak porn. Apologies to the artist though. There’s always a place for HG Wells-inspired stuff, just not as a balloon supposedly to celebrate 100 years of Canberra.

So the useless government could only afford to re-seal 200 odd meters of Wentworth ave, but can waste a crapload of money on a ridiculous hot air balloon that will not benefit the taxpayer at all. Pull your head out of your butt Katie…

Serious questions need to be asked about the process behind this. Based on the reporting out there, it sounds like Robyn Archer invited the artist to do this over two years ago. No competitive process, no transparency, just one woman spending the taxpayer’s dime on a mate. Auditor-general should have a look at this I’d say.

All I see is boobs.

Aside from being hopping mad because I struggle to pay every single bill in the ACT, I needed some humour on skyfail, so got a kick out of reading the most funny comments in the CT. A favourite one is ‘why isn’t it tethered over Fyshwick?’. I cannot think that it was created other than for artistic satire, and is totally taking the piss big time out of Canberra.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-centenary/a-skywhale-you-have-a-right-to-be-disappointed-20130509-2j9rs.html

and

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-centenary/skywhale-tale-grows-by-at-least-100000-20130510-2jc68.html#poll

On a more positive artistic note, Wolfgang Buttress’ new astronomy sculpture in the ANU science precinct is worth having a gander at (in my humble opinion). That’s my definition of intriguing.

The Skywhale launch was ridiculously awesome! Canberrans that didn’t go are going to be embarrassed when this thing draws significantly larger crowds at every other state and territory it visits…

Wilco said :

It looks like the ALP’s current version of Australia – sad, defenceless and multiple mammaries for the parasites to feed on.

Someone been listening to Alan Jones then?

What a great idea, a hot air balloon to celebrate the centenary. What a shame this is what we got. Katy Gallagher didn’t feel it was her place to stifle an artist’s creativity, but surely if we’re all paying for it we could have stipulated it should be representative of Canberra in some way?

Public art should be selected by the public.

Another useless and disgusting waste of the tax payer’s hard earned dollars. Shame on those who perpetrated this monstrosity!!!!!

read on twitter that the skywhale feeds on outraged harumphs. It’s big and getting bigger 😀

FXST01 said :

Patricia Piccinini is one of Australia’s best-known contemporary artists.
Never heard of her.
She says that she grew up as a ‘real migrant kid’ in Canberra without privilege
and obviously with no talent.

I’ve never heard of her either.
This is possibly her way of extracting revenge on Canberra for being underprivileged (unknown?) in her younger days here. It is not unusual for movie directors to make “revenge movies” about the worst aspects of the country of their birth where they were not recognised for their early artistic efforts.
Their motive is to move somewhere else and then make the first country look so bad that prospective tourists to that country are turned off forever.
In the same vein I can’t see any tourists wanting to visit Canberra to see the Skywhale (or much else that our centenary artistic director has dished up).
Can it get worse from now on?

It’s made the Beeb…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22478812

She says that she grew up as a ‘real migrant kid’ in Canberra without privilege,

a) As opposed to what? An unreal migrant kid”? A surreal migrant kid? A semi-real migrant kid? A part time migrant kid?

b) My heart bleeds for her, it really does. Poor thing, no privileges?!?!?

Out of Town friends have just ridiculed this and mentioned how it had reinforced every single negative perception of Canberra that the Media generally present. In a week that saw Fashfest showcase just what the private sector in Canberra is capable of – presenting a vibrant modern feel to the rest of the country we have to get a hideous ballon paid for by public funds designed by someone who isnt a Canberra resident with an introductory Video made by a Melbourne company. WTF?

It looks like the ALP’s current version of Australia – sad, defenceless and multiple mammaries for the parasites to feed on.

Patricia Piccinini is one of Australia’s best-known contemporary artists.
Never heard of her.
She says that she grew up as a ‘real migrant kid’ in Canberra without privilege
and obviously with no talent.

I for one thinks its awesome!

This is a f*&*king joke on the people of Canberra. It’s an insult. It’s absurd, and unaesthetic and monstrous. What in the name of Zoroaster possessed someone to design something that looks this this? Or pay for it? Who would find this an attractive thing to look at?

Jeez this is annoying.

I just do wonder if this design was fronted up to our federal masters, just for comment.
Of course our local arts are strictly a part of the local Legislaive Assembly,, but after all it will be floating over our Federal Parliament at some stage; not just our mickey mouse assembly. And of course no one outside in the States realises the ACT now sort of looks after its own affairs.

I can see some flack from the media .. like did first bloke Tim give this the nod .. and the rest.. Big blue for Federal ALP.

I could rant on for pages about how wrong this is. I have saved 72% of you that horror as you are in the same mode of mind as I. As for the other 28%, I’m sure half of you are trolling just for the fun of it. I am no longer telling anyone i don’t know that I live in Canberra. From now on I reside in N.S.W. Oh the shame of it.

Above announcement.

“TIME: 8.30am – The Skywhale tethered, 9.20am – The Skywhale will make her first Canberra flight (weather permitting)”

Canberra100 website.

“It will be tethered adjacent to the entrance of the National Gallery from 9am – 12pm.”

I get the weather permitting part but I was planning to swing by the gallery just before lunch, so now I have to go earlier?

And btw did it fly in Canberra on Thursday as I read somewhere? Anyone see it?

And any more info about Monday’s flight?

Someone got the number of the Japanese Fisheries Agency? Whaling season is starting early this year.

Pork Hunt said :

How many threads on this monstrosity of cum filled condoms (I don’t think they are boobs) do we need?

Jeez i hope they don’t rupture or we’ll be swimming in it!

How many threads on this monstrosity of cum filled condoms (I don’t think they are boobs) do we need?

So Robbie Swan had nothing to do with this ?