I was downtown today just walking, minding my own business, and I look up to see the sidewalk is closed off because they're finally installing the Giant Blue Bear. Why must this continue? I couldn't find an article or picture of it, but on the other side of the building is a sculpture everyone in the art department refers to as "The Giant Dancing White People." They're over 60 feet tall and their nickname pretty much describes what they are.

At least, unlike the dancing white people, the bear doesn't play music. Yes, if you approach the dancing white people you discover they are playing low quality new age music out of several speakers at their base.

To make this post valid, describe the outdoor atrocities.. er.. "sculptures" in your city.

The only outdoor art my city has is created at night with spraypaint by rather unsavoury "artists".

We've got anchor mailboxes. Duluth sucks :-(

But it isn't as bad as the 200 some orange giant freaking doorframes someone got paid millions to take 2 years to put up in New York.

Actually, Christo did not profit from the Gates. He used his own money (no donations) to make them. Any money that was made went straight to charity.

I personally thought they looked cool, I guess you had to actually see them. It didnt make any sense, but whatever.

Well it's good to hear no one paid him to do that, and that he is a good person and all, but none of that detracts from the fact that it's ugly as hell.

I'll have to go see them when I go to New York, along with you Mr. MB!

JediKirby

I've heard that Christo makes most of his money selling sketches and blue prints etc. of his pieces, as well as photographs and books of photos of them, then uses the money to fund the next work. While his works are extreme and in many cases dangerous (those killer umbrellas in... Japan was it?) at least they're temporary. The bear and dancers will haunt me until I finally get off my *** and move to NY or back to CA.

[edit] Here's a long article on Christo (I didn't read the whole thing, just googled "christo umbrellas japan disaster") and it has this excerpt about what went wrong: This sadly isn't unheard of with large sculptures.. maybe later I can find an article about this guy who leans big sheets of metal against eachother and has had assistants die while installing them. [/edit]

And here are the giant dancing white people... sorry to spam my own topic but I finally remembered the artist's name and thus found a picture of it:

we have another place (actually the Pepsi HQ) thats by here that has these awesome sculptures. The place is on a few acres of land and has these IMMENSE sculptures. Pretty cool stuff.

(oh and kirb- the gates are down. they were only up for 2 weeks i think)

oh, they were only temporary? Than I'll have to come to see you, my monument of sexiness!

My university has some pretty bad "art".

ha, at least you dont have this.

We have the "River Street Sign."



It looks like it belongs in Florida. And the worst part? IT'S NOT EVEN DOWNTOWN.

We have a giant hockey stick and puck
(We're the home of the US Hockey Hall of Fame)

We have some wacky sculptures around campus... Some are just random sculptures of people. Then there are the obvious statues of Cornelius Vanderbilt and his descendants.

Best one by far is the sculpture of a tree in front of the library that looks like the white tree of Gondor at night.

During the day it just looks like a tree made of people though...

We have this really ugly thing, I don't know what it's supposed to be. Also, there are a bunch of student made bamboo sculptures outside the art bulding that don't really look like anything.

Darth you live at the top of Minas Tirith?

I've never really understood this thing which is on the road to the city from the airport:



But a little further along the road they've got this thing, which is really cool to drive through:

I WANT TO DRIVE THROUGH THAT!!!!!!!!

Oh god, how could I forget this... it's in downtown Denver as well. Spork's picture of the long yellow... thing reminded me that we have this monstrosity. It's a 200' long support for a bridge (honestly the bottom part with the cables looks awesome but I could find no pic). Due to its massive phallic appearance and cables that look like they're restraining it, my friends have dubbed it "Gulliver's ..." well, I won't post the word. :p

I guess Denver is kind of big on horrendous outdoor art.

Minas Tirish, Nashville, same thing.

Spork, tell those people to start driving on the right side of the road!

What we have in our town.


I win.