East Village Rejuvenation Plan

[DizzyEdge]

I'd like to know if the cheque has already been written, this after the blue circle might sink future art projects

[davee930]

It's pathetic that he couldn't come up with a new idea.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by davee930

It's pathetic that he couldn't come up with a new idea.

I don't fault the artist at all. I'd probably do the same if I was in his shoes. We're also not privy what was said to him prior. They might have prefaced the invite with we really liked the piece you did the lamps, hint,hint.

[Fuzz]

If you look through his works:
http://micheldebroin.org/category/works
he seams to like to do a couple variations on each idea. Looks like we get round 2...

I agree these things should go to a public vote. Maybe not give the vote a final say(in case it gets trolled) but at least give public input. It's our money, in our public space. Why don't we get a say? All this is going to do is generate more controversy and create negativity around it, ala the blue ring.

[davee930]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

I don't fault the artist at all. I'd probably do the same if I was in his shoes. We're also not privy what was said to him prior. They might have prefaced the invite with we really liked the piece you did the lamps, hint,hint.

Even if they wanted an art piece with streetlights because they liked his previous sculpture which was unique and imaginative, he could have come up with something different.

[Bigtime]

There's been damn near no controversy or media play on this piece since it was announced.

[DizzyEdge]

This is making me really angry, not only the lazy effort for a half million dollar payday (although of course a portion of that will go to the cost of creation), but also that it's like no one has learned anything from the blue ring outrage, and are determined to end arts funding in this city due to this crap. Plus, second half million dollar installation with streetlights as part of it doesn't help..

This is the sort of installation I'd expect if Rick Bell was calling the shots to secretly wreck future funding.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

There's been damn near no controversy or media play on this piece since it was announced.

That's because they're too busy scouring the internet looking for more embarrassing pics from everyone's favourite MLA. I suspect we'll see something soon.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

This is making me really angry, not only the lazy effort for a half million dollar payday (although of course a portion of that will go to the cost of creation), but also that it's like no one has learned anything from the blue ring outrage, and are determined to end arts funding in this city due to this crap. Plus, second half million dollar installation with streetlights as part of it doesn't help..

This is the sort of installation I'd expect if Rick Bell was calling the shots to secretly wreck future funding.

I agree there are a lot of similarities, but plensa does exactly the same also. No one seemed to complain then.

The Calgary work does seem to be much larger than the other work, and there are differences (along the lines of how Plensa changes things also).

At $500K for this, I'd imagine quite a bit of it is construction related, but at a general level I do agree that (famous'ish) artists get overpaid (while regular artists are, on the opposite end, completely ignored).

[mwalker_mw]

This is Calgary - just as you go to the shoe store to buy shoes, you go to the art store to buy an art. Ordering off-menu is strictly forbidden.

There is a difference between art and decoration that seems to be incomprehensible to the majority of the city.

It was mediocre on its own - that it is nothing more than a knockoff is completely unforgivable. It is an insult to the city and an insult to the original work (which, as a singular work in the context of Katrina, had some merit).

(I suppose we have to wonder, perhaps everything else submitted was even worse... I suppose there is little incentive for skilled artists to submit when it is clear that anything innovative will be ignored)

[googspecial]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If you look through his works:
http://micheldebroin.org/category/works
he seams to like to do a couple variations on each idea. Looks like we get round 2...

Why couldn't we get a round 2 of something like this?!


http://micheldebroin.org/revolution

Think of the awesome views it would have D:

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by mwalker_mw

This is Calgary - just as you go to the shoe store to buy shoes, you go to the art store to buy an art. Ordering off-menu is strictly forbidden.

There is a difference between art and decoration that seems to be incomprehensible to the majority of the city.

It was mediocre on its own - that it is nothing more than a knockoff is completely unforgivable. It is an insult to the city and an insult to the original work (which, as a singular work in the context of Katrina, had some merit).

(I suppose we have to wonder, perhaps everything else submitted was even worse... I suppose there is little incentive for skilled artists to submit when it is clear that anything innovative will be ignored)

This! Wonderland disappointed me for similar reasons. The other piece on the back side doesn't even deserve mentioning as the very little artistic license that was taken by Plensa for the words on the figure were changed by Encana execs to literal places in Alberta. It can even be argued that the Bow itself is kind of an off the shelf order from Foster and Partners. This is one of the reasons I'm actually happy with the Peace bridge as it was original and different from everything else Calatrava has done.

Edit: in broader terms this has become the problem with any famous artists where they develop a recognizable 'brand'. Same thing goes for starchitects I suppose. They get famous for a style and that's all anyone who commissions them wants. It's kind of a catch 22 since you want to make it, then when you do you can be creatively stifled and put in a box.

[DizzyEdge]

I'd rather a design competition, and you know what if all the submissions suck, so be it, put it on hold and try again in 5 yrs. Better than accepting a piece which will be a monument to a bad decision.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Wonderland disappointed me for similar reasons.

good - thanks for the honesty and fairness. unfortunately, some who didn't care about wonderland being a knock off are now out of their shirts with this current one. #hypocracy

Plensa elsewhere:
https://www.smu.edu/News/2009/sho-by-plensa-11aug2009
http://3.design-milk.com/images/2011/07/jaume-plensa-2.jpg
http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/jaume-plensa12-550x362-500x329.jpg

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by davee930

Even if they wanted an art piece with streetlights because they liked his previous sculpture which was unique and imaginative, he could have come up with something different.

He did. It is a different colour and the lights are different styles.

[Calgarian]

My guess on the "Bloom" piece was that the city liked the idea of all the lights illuminating the site, especially with the seedy reputation of the park currently.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I'd rather a design competition, and you know what if all the submissions suck, so be it, put it on hold and try again in 5 yrs. Better than accepting a piece which will be a monument to a bad decision.

Well, should we really be expecting a bunch of art generated for free all the time?

Or are you thinking more about, what are they called?, commissioned competitions? Or two stage competitions?

[dazzlingdave88]

Originally Posted by suburbia

good - thanks for the honesty and fairness. unfortunately, some who didn't care about wonderland being a knock off are now out of their shirts with this current one. #hypocracy

Plensa elsewhere:
https://www.smu.edu/News/2009/sho-by-plensa-11aug2009
http://3.design-milk.com/images/2011/07/jaume-plensa-2.jpg
http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/jaume-plensa12-550x362-500x329.jpg

Count me in as a hypocrite! To be fair, I didn't realize that Plensa had other similar projects. (I didn't pay enough attention to that process at all)

And until I realized that this artist had similar projects, I thought it was an interesting piece.

I realize that as an artist it is very difficult to stray away from the brand you have created. It is what gave you credibility in the first place.

I truly love the idea of getting online public feedback, but not the final decision, on these types of projects. Why couldn't hey do something similar to what they did for the St. Patrick's island bridge?

I love the 1% rule and love the idea of art creating conversation. What better way to create conversation than to have online feedback.

[DizzyEdge]

I'll be honest, I think one issue is more people think the Plensa art is 'good' vs this new piece.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I'll be honest, I think one issue is more people think the Plensa art is 'good' vs this new piece.

Exactly. I would have loved an original and felt a tad slighted that we got a knock off, but it is still a cool piece. Besides less than 20% of the public would even realize it has been done before.