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Ireland's crappiest public art.

whisky_galore

I've noticed that just about every town and city has got these obligatory plaques or bronze sculptures of notables or something thrown together with a few rocks, usually at great expense. Limerick city being the latest getting a laughable 'likeness' of Terry Wogan.

Your nominations for crap public art, memorials and sculptures please!

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[Deleted User]

snowflaker wrote: »

I kinda like that one...

You must be Dan George so?

snowflaker

Deleted User wrote: »

You must be Dan George so?

I wish! I can has $$$ for glorified Brigid's Crosses!

RobbingBandit

Girl on the horse in Ballymun is pretty bad.

Arghus

The Spire is a complete waste of time.

Even the crappiest works of art can provide some food for thought or entertainment value due to their own uselessness. Look at that abomination "honouring" Sonia O' Sullivan, it's awful: ugly, grotesque, cheesy and looks nothing like the person it's supposed to depict. But it certainly isn't dull. If anything, it violently attacks the senses and in its sheer bloody awfulness is kind of wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer if it actually was good, but it is truly something; even if that something is truly horrifying. I know what I'll see when I close my eyes tonight...

The Spire on the other hand is void, nothing. A monument to precisely nothing, that means nothing and is nothing. A testement to the years that created it: utterly meaningless and vacuous. I feel embarassed whenever I see it. A nation of supposed Artists, Saints and Scholars and that absolute non-event is the best we could come up with. Fcking hell we're a dull nation sometimes.

[Deleted User]

Arghus wrote: »

The Spire is a complete waste of time.

Even the crappiest works of art can provide some food for thought or entertainment value due to their own uselessness. Look at that abomination "honouring" Sonia O' Sullivan, it's awful: ugly, grotesque, cheesy and looks nothing like the person it's supposed to depict. But it certainly isn't dull. If anything, it violently attacks the senses and in it's sheer bloody awfulness is kind of wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer if it actually was good, but it is truly something; even if that something is truly horrifying.

The Spire on the other hand is void, nothing. A monument to precisely nothing, that means nothing and is nothing. A testement to the years that created it: utterly meaningless and vacuous. I feel embarassed whenever I see it. A nation of supposed Artists, Saints and Scholars and that absolute non-event is the best we could come up with. Fcking hell we're a dull nation sometimes.

Its a monument to the big erection we were all going around with during the celtic tiger until we blew our load and the troika came in to bail us out

NinetyTwoTeam

Arghus wrote: »

The Spire is a complete waste of time.

Even the crappiest works of art can provide some food for thought or entertainment value due to their own uselessness. Look at that abomination "honouring" Sonia O' Sullivan, it's awful: ugly, grotesque, cheesy and looks nothing like the person it's supposed to depict. But it certainly isn't dull. If anything, it violently attacks the senses and in it's sheer bloody awfulness is kind of wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer if it actually was good, but it is truly something; even if that something is truly horrifying.

The Spire on the other hand is void, nothing. A monument to precisely nothing, that means nothing and is nothing. A testement to the years that created it: utterly meaningless and vacuous. I feel embarassed whenever I see it. A nation of supposed Artists, Saints and Scholars and that absolute non-event is the best we could come up with. Fcking hell we're a dull nation sometimes.

Just because something is simple, doesn't make it a void. Simplicity is elegant. And it's an amazing feat for it's size alone, and many visitors find it to be a good landmark or beacon as it can be seen from locations besides O'Connell Street.

The hedgehog is cool, too. Invariably people's opinions on these will vary, but I think it's good to bring more modern and abstract work out of urban centres even if some country bumpkins won't get it, then feel insecure that they don't get it so have to call it crap.

Dyr

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Girl on the horse in Ballymun is pretty bad.

Oh you had to love the nordie prick who said "Ballymun? Right a kid on a horse that will be a bold statement", they wound up sticking the yoke in the grounds of a school because no one wanted the f**king thing

Still nothing compared to other heap of **** they put outside the civic centre

There's a whole serious topic that can be had about what the funding for "public" art is really used for, and it aint the public.

Dyr

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

Just because something is simple, doesn't make it a void. Simplicity is elegant. And it's an amazing feat for it's size alone, and many visitors find it to be a good landmark or beacon as it can be seen from locations besides O'Connell Street.

If I could piss 6 foot up a wall it would be an amazing feat too..but so what?

It's an expensive embarrassment

PandaPoo

What's with the ram in bray? Just seems such a weird animal to choose.

http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=WI&regno=16400722

Ralf and Florian

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Girl on the horse in Ballymun is pretty bad.

The fact that they made it a girl makes no sense except out of some PC gender quota. That whole urban kids on horses thing is a very young male scene, it's not an honest representation at all.

Balmed Out

I dont like those metal stuck together shapes you see from the eighties. The one pictured is actually one of the better but they just look like a schoolboy's doodles.

6034073

I quite like the Spire, always have. I think its bold, brash but surprisingly beautiful and an iconic image for Dublin. We should build a second one here in Cork, just slightly bigger.

My favourite is the one for the Choctaw Indians in Midleton.

6034073

PandaPoo

The wyvern in bray!

darkdubh

methode%2Fsundaytimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fe5c2c03a-115d-11e7-902c-4ce5adaa81ca.jpg?crop=2143%2C1205%2C18%2C71&resize=685

Proposed Luke Kelly statue.

John_Rambo

The spire is cool you peasant philistines. So are lots of the other ones.

Not a fan of the bronze likeness ones though.

robindch

The statue in honor of Danno O'Mahony in Ballydehob is prominent for all the wrong reason.

twill

darkdubh wrote: »

Proposed Luke Kelly statue.

Is that serious? It's nightmare fuel!

Yourself isit

Arghus wrote: »

The Spire is a complete waste of time.

Even the crappiest works of art can provide some food for thought or entertainment value due to their own uselessness. Look at that abomination "honouring" Sonia O' Sullivan, it's awful: ugly, grotesque, cheesy and looks nothing like the person it's supposed to depict. But it certainly isn't dull. If anything, it violently attacks the senses and in it's sheer bloody awfulness is kind of wonderful. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer if it actually was good, but it is truly something; even if that something is truly horrifying.

The Spire on the other hand is void, nothing. A monument to precisely nothing, that means nothing and is nothing. A testement to the years that created it: utterly meaningless and vacuous. I feel embarassed whenever I see it. A nation of supposed Artists, Saints and Scholars and that absolute non-event is the best we could come up with. Fcking hell we're a dull nation sometimes.

Why should it mean anything? I see it more as engineering triumph than art. Beats most statues.

Also it's interesting how it basically reflects the mood if the weather - disappearing on grey days and reflecting the light on sunny ones.

ollaetta

Tefral wrote: »

Nenagh By-pass

That one used to be not bad when it was first erected on the old single carriageway. The bull and your man were closer together. Now with the widening of the road they have them way too far apart and with the ugly concrete median in the way.

Oh, and someone has also painted the Tipp colours on the bull's arse!

J Mysterio

callaway92 wrote: »

The Anthony Foley thing in Limerick

Saw it in person there a week ago. Very creepy

That is dreadful. How unfortunate, he deserves a better memorial.

darkdubh

twill wrote: »

Is that serious? It's nightmare fuel!

Yes, there was a story about it in the Sunday Times a while back. His family aren't too keen on it.

Arghus

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

Just because something is simple, doesn't make it a void. Simplicity is elegant. And it's an amazing feat for it's size alone, and many visitors find it to be a good landmark or beacon as it can be seen from locations besides O'Connell Street.

I fully agree that it is an architectural feat for it's size, but I could equally say the same about an office block or a multistory car park. And it is simple and elegant, but to what end? Simplicity and grace in public art is wonderful, but I think it's equally important - more important, in fact - that those characteristics should be put to use in the pursuit of something with meaning. And what does The Spire mean, really? What is it trying to convey? What's it symbolic of? Nothing, as far as I'm concerned. It's there because it was built there and it's large, shiny and straightforward and lacks any imagination whatsoever. All I see when I look at it is the largest pin in the world that, ironically, doesn't actually have a point.

I also agree that The Spire is a good orientation point, but that's hardly an endorsement of it's success as a work of art. They could have built a giant two hundred foot high traffic cone there instead, which would have done that job quite well and wouldn't be nearly as dull. In fact that might have more symbolic meaning for a time when Dublin is riddled with roadworks and inertia.

J Mysterio

whisky_galore wrote: »

I've noticed that just about every town and city has got these obligatory plaques or bronze sculptures of notables or something thrown together with a few rocks, usually at great expense. Limerick city being the latest getting a laughable 'likeness' of Terry Wogan.

Haven't seen it in person yet, but it looks fine to me. Comparisons to the Ronaldo statue are ridiculous.

The statue of Richard Harris in Limerick is one of the worst I've seen though. There's a lot wrong with that. Again, someone who deserves a better memorial.

If you're going to make a permament, public memorial to honour someone, you better get it right.

osarusan

I actually walked past the Anthony Foley one this evening and it's not that bad up close. He's wearing a scrum cap which is obvious up close but not so obvious in the picture posted earlier.

I also walked past the Terry Wogan one and that one is not great, doesn't look much like him, the shape of the face is wrong.

[Deleted User]

This monstrosity in Ballindine in Mayo. Think it's meant to be an accordion. But the colours!?

http://www.geograph.ie/photo/4787387

LynnGrace

ollaetta wrote: »

That one used to be not bad when it was first erected on the old single carriageway. The bull and your man were closer together. Now with the widening of the road they have them way too far apart and with the ugly concrete median in the way.

Oh, and someone has also painted the Tipp colours on the bull's arse!

Photo please!

J Mysterio

darkdubh wrote: »

Proposed Luke Kelly statue.

That looks painfully bad

NinetyTwoTeam

Arghus wrote: »

I fully agree that it is an architectural feat for it's size, but I could equally say the same about an office block or a multistory car park. And it is simple and elegant, but to what end? Simplicity and grace in public art is wonderful, but I think it's equally important - more important, in fact - that those characteristics should be put to use in the pursuit of something with meaning. And what does The Spire mean, really? What is it trying to convey? What's it symbolic of? Nothing, as far as I'm concerned. It's there because it was built there and it's large, shiny and straightforward and lacks any imagination whatsoever. All I see when I look at it is the largest pin in the world that, ironically, doesn't actually have a point.

I also agree that The Spire is a good orientation point, but that's hardly an endorsement of it's success as a work of art. They could have built a giant two hundred foot high traffic cone there instead, which would have done that job quite well and wouldn't be nearly as dull. In fact that might have more symbolic meaning for a time when Dublin is riddled with roadworks and inertia.

I'll be basically repeating myself as you have repeated yourself. this is where some people get all flustered with abstract art as they can't comprehend something where the meaning is not spelled out for them so they rail against it. They interpret a simple work as lacking imagination when more likely it's the viewer who lacks it and then gets mad that they aren't given an easy explanation. In that case the viewer is best to just stop worrying about if it means anything and decide if they find it interesting to look at. If not, just move on. I was looking at an artist today who does 2 types of abstract sculptures, one kind (the coloured bags) I really like, the other type (the wire sculptures) do nothing for me.
http://www.motherstankstation.com/artist/maggie-madden/

Probably someone feels the same but the other way around. That's fine, you don't have to like or get everything.

The fact that the spire is not depicting a person or event or symbolic of a tangible thing leaves it's meaning open to interpretation and it can mean something different to everyone - which makes it more appropriate for a city with many cultures than say, a statue of a religious icon. It's more inclusive. Also, despite it's size, you can quite easily forget it's there sometimes, it's not intrusive or overbearing.

Jellybaby1

If I could give a prize for the best description of the crappiest public art, I think I'd give it to 'origami rabbit'. This is such a great thread, I've be chuckling for the last ten minutes! Poor Terry and Sonia, they're woeful, and their poor descendants will have to look at them for ever. As for Luke, his family should really refuse to have anything to do with that nightmare. I've little to offer but I'd love to see the giant tennis ball outside Templeogue Tennis Club removed for reasons of safety. Ages ago I was driving through Templeogue from Terenure and a toddler walked out from behind it, luckily the car in front of me noticed her in time. Child's mother almost had a heart attack. Small children and dogs cannot be seen behind it - they appear almost by magic in front of cars, trucks, buses!!!

Dyr

NinetyTwoTeam wrote: »

Probably someone feels the same but the other way around. That's fine, you don't have to like or get everything.

The fact that the spire is not depicting a person or event or symbolic of a tangible thing leaves it's meaning open to interpretation and it can mean something different to everyone - which makes it more appropriate for a city with many cultures than say, a statue of a religious icon. It's more inclusive. Also, despite it's size, you can quite easily forget it's there sometimes, it's not intrusive or overbearing.

Yeah just move on happy in the knowledge that you paid top dollar for a piece of crap that 99% of your community would rather not see

Dyr

Arghus wrote: »

All I see when I look at it is the largest pin in the world that, ironically, doesn't actually have a point.

Failry obvious that Dublin City Council wanted something, big and meaningless that they could use as a logo on merchandise