It's all in the feet...

(Photo from podiatry.temple.edu/LINKS/links.html )
I've got to tell you that I'm a sucker for giant body parts sculptures, separated from each other and showcased to best effect in bronze or marble.
So it was good news to learn today that Germany unveiled a 4 ton bronze of Uwe Seeler's foot, scars and all, at a stadium in Hamburg. Seeler is a retired prize soccer player and in lieu of Nike contracts, will now be able to point with pride at his hoof every time the German team plays its brand of football. The piece itself (though not the original foot) set to enter the Guiness book as the world's largest foot sculpture.
One of the most interesting things about this piece is that it was designed by a woman named Brigitte Schmitges who is a regular podiatrist among sculptors. She's done the feet of three other German footballers, and her series is called "eleven friends" in some circles- to honor the eleven top team players of the sport in Germany.
And this all reminds me of a fabulous foot sculpture I ran across (get it????) in Edingburgh the last time I was there. It was standing in a group of other pieces called the Manuscript of Monte Cassino that quite took my breath away. It and an outstretched hand are meant to represent the essence of pilgrimage. I haven't see Seeler's foot, but the idea of any permanent ped being larger than this one is astounding.
More later...