Public art installation on West Row

It looks looks like some big fat bastard lost a button from their cardigan.

I like a big of art round the place. I think almost anything is better than nothing.

I think the cube is totally wasted in it’s new spot though. That area is too busy the cube is hardly noticable. And there are too many other lights around it.

They should put it at the end of northbourne ave and london ct. Lots of pedestrians would walk past it, and drivers could watch it when they are stuck in traffic.

ant said :

And I thought the thing on teh chair arm was a teatowel.

To wipe up after having your way with the missionary-position merino?

Oh, and for the record, i thought the lights over Lake Ginninderra were kinda cool, sometime 2006, according to Arts ACT

it’s no use moff, i tried, in previous stories on the riot, to seek some genuine comments on the artistic sensibilities of these nay-sayers, but to no avail.

sadly, am at work looking at this now so get a grey square for what is being discussed here. will cycle past en route home and have a squizz…

i love many of the artworks in public in canberra – the dog-calling soundscape, for instance, down towards the south end of garema place, is great. the huge spirit levels in the anu’s sculpture garden also rock, as does the inverted red-brick thing outside their social sciences blg, up towards the shine dome. i also like the ‘fragile’ thing and ainslie’s sheep. the sofa in the middle of garema place is also pretty funky, and i have a soft spot for the fire trails outside the canberra theatre and for ‘eros’ in the same locale.

probably my favourite is also on anu, the silver mercury dimples on the end of the biology bldg, up near b&g hall. and the brick half spheres and square shapes near the dog-calling soundscape and in anu outside chifley are lovely things.

i’m not so fond of the thing in the middle of ainslie avenue, nor the memorial that replaced the fantastic old cube at the top of uni ave by the legislative assembly.

Ainslie’s Sheep by Lee Kossatz.

The embroidered waistcoat on the chair arm refers to Ainslie’s flamboyant dress sense,
and to an incident when his clothes were stolen by bushrangers. According to the story, Ainslie pursued and caught the bushrangers and retrieved his favourite waistcoat.

Yeah, but, but, why didn’t the sculptor bloke do a statue of this ainslie bludger, rather than a couple of sheep? There’s no sheep in the story at all! he made them up.

And I thought the thing on teh chair arm was a teatowel.

Bueaty is in the eye of the beholder Moff. It is not our fault that after spending our formative years in the National Gallery, we think post C20th Australian Contemporary Art is as attractive as a fat bloke in spandex.

Moff: There are plenty of decent public art pieces in Canberra, but unfortunately the majority are aesthetically displeasing. However, I do quite like the new piece, which looks like a communist monument that is located on Binara St outside of Industry House.

I think its unfair to brand all these new works as ‘crap’ before you give them a chance to exist in thier chosen environment for more than a few months in the open.

Considering you all are such eloquent art aficianado’s and accomplished critics, maybe you can elaborate on the work which you actually DO like in Canberra, or do you think that Canberra should be totally devoid of any public stimulation?

If anything you should all be appreciating these works so that canberra artists can flourish and create a name for themselves aswell as canberra. Trust me, this place would be alot blander without any sculptures at all.

The ‘artists’ don’t get paid for this. The ‘artists’ from the ANU get given a small grant which basically covers the cost of the materials. The ‘artists’ only get the glory of having their ‘artwork’ on display.

I am wondering when we will have a bronze statue of Stanhopeless next to the welcome to Canberra sign on the federal highway!