29 January 2008

Art, but not as we know it

| Kramer
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Here’s your package. I don’t know what those arrows on the side mean…

However it does appear to be yet another random artwork courtesy of your local government. This one has been delivered to the corner of Alinga and Moore st in the city. Being close to 8ft tall it was obvioulsy too big to drop in the post box at the GPO accross the road

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It marks the spot of an underground NSA base

Perhaps it is an illustration of all the positive policy proposals that the ACT govt has sucessfully kept under the wraps, as there were two many words using more than three syllables for the poor little dears to comprehend?

This one me thinks will turn out to be a quality pissing post for students returning to ANU from a big night out on the turps

yeah i dont think that will be happening as often *tear*

These art threads are getting a fair bit of comment about them.

This one me thinks will turn out to be a quality pissing post for students returning to ANU from a big night out on the turps.

Ha, lucky it isn’t full of petrol.

It would have cost about eleventy billion dollars….

I wonder how much it cost to make??

ie, How much money I ended up throwing into it to put it there. Hmmm I’m thinking a full tank of petrol worth!

Looks crap and boring. Wow, a big parcel – how wacky!

They should get some decent young artists to paint murals around town and start deading these ridiculous sculptures.

Gungahlin Al4:26 pm 30 Jan 08

So Dr Evil isn’t Mr Evil with new qualifications?
There’s clearly just too much evil on this site…

Don’t think so Al, though I suspect he is working on it.

PS – mine was called “Seven instant cures for stupidity, and one in the chamber” 🙂

Gungahlin Al9:47 am 30 Jan 08

“I’m guessing someone saved RiotACT.com in the browser favourites of one of those Fisher-Price laptops in Kmart again……”
LOL
PS: has Mr Evil finally submitted his PhD?

I walk past the “parcel” every day . . . and sometimes a trifle unsteadily if my route has intersected the Wig and Pen. I like it, and it works well in it’s juxtaposition with the GPO. It looks like it’s solid stone, but you can’t tell that unless you’re within a couple of metres. At a guess I’d say it would weigh in at 5-6 tons ( less if it’s hollow or is made of some rock compound).

Some (like my Dad) can’t call it art – I do. It’s though provoking. But given its proximity to two major watering holes I’m wondering how much art criticism will be expressed in processed beer . . .

Ingeegoodbee11:30 pm 29 Jan 08

Looks better than that helicopter crash on the GDE. I like this one. I think the Government should be spending more on public art rather than wasting it on sh!t like hospital beds and schools – no ones going to skimp on that stuff so why shouldn’t they pay the full cost – but art, mate, that makes ou smile when you see it…

“Look further up the road – where that Old Holden place was. They have huge bollards out the front. I wonder what agency that is ?”

It’s an Australian Crime Commission office (presumably their head office). See: http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/html/pg_contact.html

I’m guessing someone saved RiotACT.com in the browser favourites of one of those Fisher-Price laptops in Kmart again……

Gungahlin Al9:42 pm 29 Jan 08

Huh???
Very articulate contribution…

thanks for the update, the-riotact.com. can you tell me more about anything else left anywhere at any time? that’d be nice. what about telling me about every photo people of those things? you should post them too.

high fives.

I’m with GungAl. It’s interesting. There is a debate. It’s art. If we all thought it was good, it would be a waste of effort.

Look further up the road – where that Old Holden place was. They have huge bollards out the front. I wonder what agency that is ?

GregW – because DHA are in there.

Gungahlin Al5:50 pm 29 Jan 08

Oh so it really is an art piece???
MMM – probably don’t mind it.

Although the visual of a wheel-standing postie’s bike struggling with that perched precariously on the back and wide-eyed postie aboard would be a pretty amusing art piece too…(I think).

Of course you just know that someone from ACT Arts is lurking away here chuckling to themselves that they’ve scored another “direct hit”, as if the purpose of urban art is to stimulate debate and discussion, that’s just what are we doing here.

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

Snahons_scv6_berlina5:26 pm 29 Jan 08

If a bear takes a dump in the woods, you scoop it up in a brown paper bag, place it in the middle of garema pl and tear open the bag to expose the dump, is that art ?

replacing the roof on the health building Dan. Not doing the most flash job from all accounts either.

My only thought on this ‘art’ is at least it is (or should be) cheap…

I’ve noticed the big bollards on mort street, the building contains the defence housing mob. Why exactly are they needed?

I think it’s quite heavy: they were using a large crane to place it there before Christmas.

it appears to be made of stone, but I haven’t given it the tap test yet.

Actually – ANU art students have been showing off their art projects in that location for the last few months. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was another offering.

Ahh that makes total sence, because just up the western end of Alinga Street on the north side of the road, just near the vacant block and a few months ago was an open shipping container. Its open doors were facing the road but off the path – so people walkingpast could see inside. Inside teh shipping container was parquetry floor with a fridge lying down lengthwise. The fridge had its door open coffin like and the inside of the fridge was devoid of any shelving, but instead was lined with red satin or velvet – so as to give the impression of a coffin.

Not everyones cup of tea, but still art and for once I liked it 🙂

Holden Caulfield3:54 pm 29 Jan 08

I quite like it.

I thought it may have been an advertising prank, similar to the one Volvo did with the C30 in Circular Quay.

But as a piece of art, the one featured above works for me.

I wonder how much it weighs….

Now I’m singing a portaloo song to the tune of ABBA… Damnit!

Maybe it’s an new type of portaloo.

I particularly liked a group of coconuts on sticks that turned to watch the movements of passers-by.
hahaha i thought it was a tribal warfare thing with heads on stakes. Well it looked like that at speed….

Actually – ANU art students have been showing off their art projects in that location for the last few months. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was another offering.

I particularly liked a group of coconuts on sticks that turned to watch the movements of passers-by.

How long until its got a poster for some random pop group playing at the UC on it ?

Judging from all the logos direction on it, they may have installed it upside down.

I give it about 30 mins before Gungahlin Al finds the ArtsACT application for it and tell us if it is compliant with spec or not.

Put a [fake] invoice from Ducati Motorcycles on it, and see how long it takes to be stolen.

I’m not a fan.

I am often in that building for work. I think they are doing some renovations of some sort. The scaffolding has been there for quite some time. I rarely go above the 3rd level but the levels above are mostly vacant.

As for this artwork, I have never seen it before but I don’t mind it. At least it looks like something – maybe a refrigerator. Is it made of cement?

Gungahlin Al3:37 pm 29 Jan 08

Clearly just fell off the back of the postie’s bike – I hope you let Aus Post know…?

Speaking of bomb squads, did anyone else notice the very large anti-vehicle blocks just installed outside 14 or 16 Mort Street?

These additions to government buildings are coming thick and fast of late, with one thing in common – all ugly. Surely someone can apply some urban art qualities to these things?

I dare someone to ring up the national security hotline and report it as a ‘suspicious package’.

Whats with the scaffold on the old health building ?

Are they demolishing it ?

I dare someone to deliver that “Art” to the doorstep of my workplace. Bombsquad would be in attendance quicksmart and we would all be up the road @ the evac point, kicking a footy around.

Arrows may be indicative of “This way up” which is the wrong way, and once again, this may well be art, but not really my style 🙂

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