Lionel Richie Attacked!

Welsh Megaman

The art installation in a phonebox featuring Lionel, that is!

From artist Mick Minogue's blog:-

Pretty sad day In the durty ol town that Is Dublin. I went down to my Engage Phonebox installation today to add some finishing touches to discover that It had been destroyed over night. Some unbelievable excuse for a human or humans walked Into the installation and pulled it apart and stole the body of the piece leaving the head which I had the task of taking down this eve. In some sense I wish It had been unscrewed and at least taken In one piece by someone who loved it so much they needed to steal it but to mindlessly destroy the piece as a drunken trophy has just ended my relationship with Dublin.
I have lived In Dublin almost 10 years now and I am embarrassed by the lack of culture and the identity it has created for itself. Its been handed over to the drunk and scum of the city who wipe their asses with it daily and throw it back in the faces of those who want to make the city a better more friendly place. The sad thing Is this is a growing problem thats seems to have no solution. Seeing the remains of my work today was crushing but at the same time a wake up call to get outta dodge. When I made this piece I instantly wanted to make more, large interactive pieces for the public. 3D graffiti that people than interact with and relate too but now I realise that that can never happen here with the mentality thats sewn deep into this culture. A large moronic, cowardly majority thats afraid of anything different, interesting, educated or just plain nice. Its sickening and as an artist living and working its really disappointing.
The Engage project was created for the public to brightening things up, cheer the whole place up and I just hope the other great installations dont get the same treatment mine did. What kills me most was It was unfinished. Tomorrow Eircom were going to have the song 'Hello' playing down the phone to whoever walked in and chilled with Lionel. We had also reached out to Lionel Richie who was playing here tomorrow night before he has to cancel due to illness. Imagine if he had seen it? What a great picture of Dublin that would have been to him.
So If anyone out there knows anything about this or knows the idiots who did this please let me know, I'd love to ask them why whats up? There's always CCTV n all that but still doesn't change the fact that this Is something that everyone said was inevitable and will happen again and again. How sad Is that. Thanks for taking the time to have a read and get in touch at 3buttons@gmail.com if you might have been about last night to see Lionel's Braveheart moment.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Art & Crafter,

Mick

Pics here... http://mickbuttonminogue.blogspot.co.uk/


As a fellow artist I'd be pretty miffed too if a piece I had spent a long time working on was vandalised within 24 hours. Opinions?

EDIT: In before 'he worked on that All Night Long (All night)'

Mr Benevolent

Da fuk? Who cares?

MidlandsM

Hello?

antodeco

It looks like that painting of Jesus that was "restored" up!



versus

Feeona

I'm surprised it lasted so long! There are a huge amount of people out there who do not want to see anyone else being productive with their lives.

cruiser178

I'll never forgive myself













for reading that pile of shíte

MJ23

Is it me you're looking for ?

Where To

Some of the puns are terrible folks. I've been working All Night Long but can do better

kneemos

It's a shame but that mentality is rampant sadly.

Jason Todd

Disappointing to see stuff like this, doesn't matter whether it's an art installation, shop window or a wing mirror off a car, stuff should be left the way it was found after a Saturday nights' drinking. Once again, the idiots who can't behave like grown ups with a bit of drink in them ruin it for everyone else.

cloptrop

Oh how ground breaking a lionel ritchie joke about the hello song . Real earth moving art dude . Your really pushing the boundaries .
How about doing one of James on a park bench singing oh sit down . Its a sad day for art . The real crime here is this **** got commisioned and paid for .
How dare he slag off my city because some sap broke his ****ty played out joke art . Go wan back to your perfect city you had to leave because nobody would buy your lionel joke.

cruiser178

Where To wrote: »

Some of the puns are terrible folks. I've been working All Night Long but can do better

all night, all night

gobnaitolunacy

You leave something in a Dublin street and expect it to be intact/still there when you get back?

I'm sorry, but I wouln't leave my bike unattended (even when locked!) for 5 mins there.

humanji

He's upset that a sh*te installation, which for some reason, some people call "art" got vandalised. And now he's generalising that the majority of people in Dublin were behind it. Vandalism happens in every city and he doesn't point out that the other installations weren't touched.

cloptrop

Jason Todd wrote: »

cloptrop wrote: »

Oh how ground b reaking a lionel ritchie joke about the hello song . Real earth moving art dude . Your really pushing the boundaries .
How about doing one of James on a park bench singing oh sit down . Its a sad day for art . The real crime here is this **** got commisioned and paid for .
How dare he slag off my city because some sap broke his ****ty played out joke art . Go wan back to your perfect city you had to leave because nobody would buy your lionel joke.

Wow... pleasant, and not at all proving the stereotypes of Dubs as dickheads correct.

Did you read what he said.

Dyr

Maybe it was destroyed as an artistic statement? You leave something lying around the city centre people are gonna f**k with it (or interact with it if you're an artist i guess)

Guy sounds like a fkin whinger tbh

Jason Todd

cloptrop wrote: »

Did you read what he said.

Fair enough.

mike65

That's a dreadful blog, why can't people format and use image compression?

Dyr

mike65 wrote: »

That's a dreadful blog, why can't people format and use image compression?

You sound like one of the large, cowardly, majority hating on blogs. Shame on you :mad:

Oink

OP, you can't leave something on the street in Dublin and not expect people to piss on/puke on/steal it/break it at some point. That's how we roll. As you said yourself, get out of dodge if you think you can't take it anymore.

Sorry about your stuff though.

kneemos

Try Scandinavia op everything seems to be better up there.

Yamanoto

Where To wrote: »

Some of the puns are terrible folks. I've been working All Night Long but can do better

On the Nightshift?











Was that even Lionels song?

working fool

I loved him on give us a clue

charlemont

Lionel Richie is super cool.

You think this only happens in Dublin.
Eh, hello, it's happening all around the world.

OctavarIan

humanji wrote: »

He's upset that a sh*te installation, which for some reason, some people call "art" got vandalised.

What disqualifies it from being an art installation?

kneemos

OctavarIan wrote: »

What disqualifies it from being an art installation?

Ignorance

conorhal

humanji wrote: »

He's upset that a sh*te installation, which for some reason, some people call "art" got vandalised. And now he's generalising that the majority of people in Dublin were behind it. Vandalism happens in every city and he doesn't point out that the other installations weren't touched.

Why don't you save you ire for the scummers that vandalised the installation instead?

I find your attitude depressing, with it's nihilistic expectation that such an action was inevitable. It's the poxy twin of the nihilistic attitude of gobsheens that feel entitled to destroy things 'for the craic'.

I'm reminded of the 'art cows' that were installed on the streets of Dublin a few years ago, they travelled the world, but guess which was the only city where they were vandalised, beheaded, and eventually had to be moved into shopping centres and security hired to protect them?
So no, it doesn't happen everywhere.

This, as they say, is why we can't have nice things.

humanji

OctavarIan wrote: »

What disqualifies it from being an art installation?

Opinion.

kneemos wrote: »

Ignorance

:rolleyes:

conorhal wrote: »

Why don't you save you ire for the scummers that vandalised the installation instead?

I find your attitude depressing, with it's nihilistic expectation that such an action was inevitable. It's the poxy twin of the nihilistic attitude of gobsheens that feel entitled to destroy things 'for the craic'.

I'm reminded of the 'art cows' that were installed on the streets of Dublin a few years ago, they travelled the world, but guess which was the only city where they were vandalised, beheaded, and eventually had to be moved into shopping centres and security hired to protect them?
So no, it doesn't happen everywhere.

This, as they say, is why we can't have nice things.

The people behind it are scum. This doesn't detract from the fact that this guy has insult an entire city because of a hissy fit.

Dyr

OctavarIan wrote: »

What disqualifies it from being an art installation?

What disqualifies beheading lionel richie from being an art installation?


They should have used a stevie wonder cut out, cos even he'd have seen this coming :pac:

Dyr

conorhal wrote: »

I'm reminded of the 'art cows' that were installed on the streets of Dublin a few years ago, they travelled the world, but guess which was the only city where they were vandalised, beheaded, and eventually had to be moved into shopping centres and security hired to protect them? [/COLOR]
So no, it doesn't happen everywhere.

cry me a river, it does happen everywhere

http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2006/06/paris_cow_parad.html

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/5986-plastic-cow-feared-drowned

http://allianceparty.org/article/2012/006603/blair-criticises-attack-on-newtownabbey-cow-parade

Also stop changing your text colour like some moody emo

Where To

Yamanoto wrote: »

Where To wrote: »

Some of the puns are terrible folks. I've been working All Night Long but can do better

On the Nightshift?











[SIZE="1"]Was that even Lionels song?[/SIZE]

Commodores I think.

But hey, say you, say me, it's all good.

Solair

kneemos wrote: »

Try Scandinavia op everything seems to be better up there.

Yes, because there's absolutely no vandalism, graffiti or public urination in Oslo or Stockholm ...


Dublin's a bit rough on a Saturday night (as are most of the towns and cities in these islands) but you pretty much get vandalism everywhere. There are a few small, really dull towns in most countries where you could leave something like that and it wouldn't get touched, but in general this kind of stuff happens. In cities with relatively wild nightlife, it happens even more frequently.

The only way that would have been safe is if the phonebox had been locked over night and I don't think you'd be able to do that without eircom's permission.
That or install it somewhere high enough up that it wouldn't be in reach.

Given how little money eircom make out of payphones these days, I would say they'd have been delighted with a bit of publicity and would have helped you out. Perhaps get in touch with eircom's PR department and see if they can help with a bit of security on the box or something.

Their corporate affairs people are all listed on their website : http://pressroom.eircom.net/

A lock on the door after 10pm would probably have avoided this.

Alternatively the whole installation would have to be vandal-proofed i.e. put behind perspex or something.

Even without artwork, pay-phones have always been subject to vandalism.

cruiser178

Bambi wrote: »

cry me a river, it does happen everywhere

http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2006/06/paris_cow_parad.html

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/5986-plastic-cow-feared-drowned

http://allianceparty.org/article/2012/006603/blair-criticises-attack-on-newtownabbey-cow-parade

Also stop changing your text colour like some moody emo

No that was justin trousersnake.

granturismo

'Installations' are not art. They are more akin to DIY or 'Arts and Craft'. They deserved to be trashed.

Riddle101

It's sad what happened to the artit's piece, i'd be p*ssed too. That being said, it was pretty risky just leaving it in a phonebox unprotected. Would be like leaving a new phone on a bench in the park and expecting to find it there the next day. Lot's of people out there who would take advantage.

Also, he's being pretty harsh to Dublin I have to say. You get scum anywhere, any place. Doesn't matter where he made the piece, it's no less safer in Galway or Cork, hell London or Paris etc, it could have been destoryed in any place.

kneemos

granturismo wrote: »

'Installations' are not art. They are more akin to DIY or 'Arts and Craft'. They deserved to be trashed.

Anything that brightens up the dreary hole that is Dublin deserves credit and encouragement.

granturismo

kneemos wrote: »

Anything that brightens up the dreary hole that is Dublin deserves credit and encouragement.

I was a bit harsh - anything that brightens any location is welcome and deserves to be enjoyed by those that appreciate it nut in my opinion 'installations' are generally pretentious crap.

cloptrop

It was a pretty silly concept . Totally uninspiring . And the joke has been done a million times before.
Itd be the artistic equivalant to them fish you hang on a wall press a button and they sing a motown song .
Bric a brac . To think they have to import someone to do this is the real crime here.

tin79

Phone boxes still exist? :eek:

emo72

ah Jaysus lads. the thing got wrecked. if my work was destroyed for fun i would be dejected. the scum are breeding rapidly and theres too many of them now. so the guy was sounding off about Dublin, let him let off steam. wouldn't expect it to last either, this is Dublin! i am sad.

af_thefragile

Hello, yes this is dog.

Lollipops23

Jaysus lads, are we really that cynical that people are actually giving out to the dude for wanting to liven things up?

Things are bloody depressing at the minute, and he just did something that he thought people might stop, have a look at and go "ah, that's pretty cool" and go on their merry way. That's all he wanted.

What's so thick about that?

I do think he was very naive to think it'd be left in one piece after a weekend in the city, but he's still right to be pissed off. I doubt I'll ever understand the thought process of the average Dublin knackbag, why they feel the need to wreck something so harmless and nice. As the artist said, he'd almost be ok with it if someone just nicked it cos they thought it was so cool. But no, these fools can't stand to see anything nice make other people happy and must destroy it "for the craic".

cloptrop

He should have did one in the jax of oasis that " sing go let it out" when you sit down .

humanji

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Jaysus lads, are we really that cynical that people are actually giving out to the dude for wanting to liven things up?

Things are bloody depressing at the minute, and he just did something that he thought people might stop, have a look at and go "ah, that's pretty cool" and go on their merry way. That's all he wanted.

What's so thick about that?

I do think he was very naive to think it'd be left in one piece after a weekend in the city, but he's still right to be pissed off. I doubt I'll ever understand the thought process of the average Dublin knackbag, why they feel the need to wreck something so harmless and nice. As the artist said, he'd almost be ok with it if someone just nicked it cos they thought it was so cool. But no, these fools can't stand to see anything nice make other people happy and must destroy it "for the craic".

I don't think anyone's giving out to him for trying. I'm giving out about him unfairly insulting a city.

Blisterman

The attitude in this thread is depressing.

So because something was accessible to the public, it's expected to be damaged?

Would you be happier if our cities were made up entirely of concrete bunkers surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards?

Blame the people who damaged it, not the artist, for trying to provide something for the public to enjoy for free.

This kind of attitude will just make these knackers think that damaging people's property is ok.

Dozen Wicked Words

Sounds like the artist has got a bit precious about his work, very unfair to hammer a whole city just because of this, met him many years ago and he was sound enough, just hope he isn't disappearing up his own arsehole.

In other news, I know someone who owns a few of his pictures so hope he goes on to be incredibly famous, then he can sell the pictures and buy a rocket car, which I can get a lift to the shops in.

Skerries

he got it back or so I hear

kneemos

Blisterman wrote: »

The attitude in this thread is depressing.

So because something was accessible to the public, it's expected to be damaged?

Would you be happier if our cities were made up entirely of concrete bunkers surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards?

Blame the people who damaged it, not the artist, for trying to provide something for the public to enjoy for free.

This kind of attitude will just make these knackers think that damaging people's property is ok.

If everyone expects things to be damaged it's acceptable when they are.

Solair

The thing is that it's not something that's unique to Dublin or anywhere else.
If something's fragile, damageable and accessible, it's quite likely to get damaged.

It's a city centre street, not a well-monitored museum and it's also not something robust that can resist minor abuse e.g. a statue or a sculpture.

Nor is it high up.

This is the main reason why not many art galleries hang the paintings on the exterior walls.

Nobody's attacking the artist for trying something interesting and different, but just saying that unless you protect your artwork, signage or anything else like that you can't just leave it on the street.

Blisterman

I'm not saying that damaging things and vandalism don't happen elsewhere. They do, but generally the reaction is "This is a discgrace, the person who did it should get in trouble", not "As sure what did he expect, leaving public art in public?"