They're not even straight.
Before I am accused of being a retragrade kneejerker picking on easy targets let me explain that I have nothing against artists getting grants if what they are spending it on provokes thought, entertains or gives you a hard-on like the 5,000 nudes in front of the Opera house did for Sydneysiders recently. But Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle, the former leader of the Liberals, has missed the point when he defends this one by saying, “the very fact it has prompted a discussion is ‘job done’.”
LORD Mayor Robert Doyle has defended Melbourne’s expenditure on installation arts, saying the very fact it has prompted a discussion is “job done”.
The city council has awarded Sydney artists Michaela Gleave and Kate Mitchell $5500 to build and immediately take down five 1.5m walls over five days in May.
Gleave said they would cart 1000 bricks in a van to sites including Birrarung Marr and Federation Square, and spend from 7am to 3pm each day creating and dismantling straight walls as a comment on labour and infrastructure.
But Cr Doyle defended the expenditure, saying art should amuse, entertain, and spark debate. He said if the aim was to achieve those goals, quirkier art was more successful than statues of royals erected in Melbourne’s parks. (Herald Sun)
Look Doylie, they are not building permanent statues out of these bricks. They are not even building retaining walls, and they not even using any mortar! Stacking bricks is only useful if the bricks are gonna be used for something. And I have never seen – and I cannot imagine I ever will see – peoples being “amused” or “entertained” by watching these women stack bricks rather badly. Maybe if they dropped some on their toes I would laugh but this is not art. What do youse think?
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
Socky that is not art that is a a barbie waiting to be assembled!
As someone who has been known to swing an arty paintbrush from time to time I hat this kind of wank mode faux art heck this kind of crap is not even any kind of new idea . The art scene here in this country is not about skill or talent it is all about bullshit and spin, so is at any wonder that the spin-miesters in politics fall for it time and again and give cash to these idiots?
They are not idiots Iain. they are getting $5500 for 5 days work stacking & unstacking 1000 bricks. I would do it for half that (and nude). Doylie is the idiot.
But you could end up with skin like crackling if you did it in the nude Socky !
😮
Two words Iain: Lano Lin.
Or two other words: Vasa Lean
Oh I don’t think that would be a good idea when I cook a certain type of roast I add oil and salt to the outside to get the most desirable outside finish to the skin and I really think that your friends Lano and Vaso may actually increase the chances of you being crisped rather than protecting you, especially in those body parts unused to public exposure….
You need SPF 40 plus mate
Okay, so in one word Iain: Sun Screen.
I doubt we know all the complexities of the artists’ project and are just going on the simple interpretation offered up by the media. The arts question, they make us feel uncomfortable, they create debate. So I agree: job done. Long live the arts.
It does not look too complex to me Nigel. If they could do some nice archwork, some juggling (*) and a bit of brick-splitting I would withdraw my objectionable post and perspecktive.
* Tit juggling.
Sorry to disappoint you Nigel but as an Artist myself I just know that there is a very big hype and bullshit factor in this sort of “conceptual art” and the only deep and meaningful aspect of it is the way that the artist has convinced someone to give them a thick wedge of cash for doing something that is essentially a contravention of work place health and safety laws. rules.
Oh and welcome to my blog where I hope that you will find lots of things that you disagree with to get those gray cells working 😉
I agree that it’s a safety hazard. She’s stacking a narrow two rows of bricks 1.5 metres high! Even a half-strong wind could blow that over.