tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104362282012-02-16T22:59:13.660-05:00Tales from the fascinating world of public sculpturetaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comBlogger531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-72388183379569781292011-03-02T09:43:00.003-05:002011-03-02T10:00:53.199-05:00

AP photo This week, New Zealand discovered a tough truth about old statues of dead white guys. After last month's earthquake, the statue of the city's founder, John Robert Godley, tumbled, and with it, a copper cylinder containing some secret papers. It was a classic case of the legendary "time capsule hidden in public sculpture" syndrome! We all wait with bated breath for the results. Next to it

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-34099674217044552402008-07-06T11:20:00.002-04:002008-07-06T12:03:45.425-04:00

photo from cnnc.omIt's been eight months since I posted here, but this story is so big I can't ignore it. I'd love reactions.Last Week, Madame Tussaud's in Berlin installed a wax figure of the famous and reviled former dictator of that country, Adolph "Der Fuhrer" Hitler. I have to say that from the pix I've seen, it was pretty lifelike. It should have been since it cost months of labor and

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-30517837729997013612007-12-21T17:01:00.000-05:002007-12-22T11:47:25.701-05:00

photo from bbs websiteYa gotta love it.We in the early 21st century US really do try to get it right. Aside from bashing Muslims' heads in as opportunities arise, we really do make an official effort not to hurt people's religious feelings. Inclusion is the buzz word. I promise I won't go into the jihad that the US has against those of the Islamic persuasion- carried out by media hacks and pols

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-40068263916189049612007-12-10T11:11:00.000-05:002007-12-10T11:18:38.317-05:00

Please note that I'm doing another blog about the making of the book, Sculptural Assassination The link is on the side bar, so come take a gander now and then...

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-42674422165372412702007-11-24T12:02:00.000-05:002007-11-24T12:34:26.092-05:00

Photo from http://www.janeholtzkay.com/Articles/hunger.htmlWandering around Providence yesterday afternoon, looking for the WWII monument, I ran across a memorial of quite a different sort. It was the city's Irish Famine Memorial, complete with bas relief, Irish pieta, and greetings from Northern Aid, etc. Now I happen to be of the Irish-American persuasion myself, so this sort of thing always

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-81599755660774684142007-09-04T10:28:00.000-04:002007-09-04T10:57:32.275-04:00

Photos from www.mi.sanu.ac.yu/vismath/barrallo1/(Compare and contrast- what are these sculptures saying?)I just read a fascinating article from the Harare (Zimbabwe) Herald ( thank god for the internet) about translating statues. The writer said that there are some concepts that can't be conveyed in sculpture and so the pieces need translation for their viewers. "Pierced!" I thought, struck to my

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-55784567656789904772007-08-27T09:55:00.001-04:002007-08-27T10:21:19.339-04:00

photo from the Taipei Times website...There's news afoot in the public sculpture world about the latest memorial addition to Washington DC's Mall. The honoree is Martin Luther King, Jr. But he's not the source of protest. Everyone pretty much agrees that he's significant enough to be included in the Pantheon. The problem is with the choice of sculptors.The granite piece is going to be crafted by

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-2291871789545294152007-08-20T17:50:00.000-04:002007-08-20T18:16:44.761-04:00

The news from Serbia is too good to be true for a change, and you deserve to hear it hear.After learning the heartwarming news that the Serbs are erecting a bronze of their best friend Bill Clinton in their capital, Pristina, I was bowled over to hear that another American icon will be bringing salvation to the beleaguered nation.Rocky Balboa is going to rise triumphant in a small town whose name

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-62845050197601687372007-07-27T09:35:00.000-04:002007-07-27T09:59:47.978-04:00

I would like to apologize for my cursory research on my earlier post about Westminster's decree banning more statues in their bailiwick. I have been researching for the book and find that what they face there is certainly precendented! It seems that Paris (no suprise) faced the same problem in the late 19th century.The problem was that too many important men demanded too many important tributes,

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-8391866830537028822007-07-24T11:16:00.000-04:002007-07-24T11:47:49.483-04:00

photo from http://www.ellisms.comOK- for those of you who are passionate about history, sculpture, or preservation (pick one or all of the above) this alert from the folks at Save Outdoor SculptureAs you may or may not know, the nation is gearing up for Lincoln's bicentennial (The actual date of L's 200th birthday is Feb 12, 2009, just 23 days after W leaves office. There's something, like,

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-81031115730765753222007-07-21T11:35:00.000-04:002007-07-21T12:12:09.433-04:00

Just read a story about a library in Ohio that found a pretty important work of art in its collection. It's a statue by Edmonia Lewis, the impressive 19th century sculptor. The piece, called the "Veiled Bride of Spring" was "lost" for a century due to fact that it had shifted owners and by the time it hit the reading rooms, nobody knew what it was all about. But the thing that hit me between

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-52928879041598983622007-07-16T10:11:00.002-04:002007-07-21T12:20:21.387-04:00

Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:et%C3%A9_-_Statue_by_Enzo_Plazzotta_-_Millbank_-_Westminster_-_London_-_240404.jpgCan you ever have too many public statues?I was shocked, shocked to discover that the City of Westmister (London, England) thinks you can. They say their bailiwick is absolutely stuffed with the things and they want to put a restriction on any more bronze residents.

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-57394867229957375592007-06-28T12:41:00.001-04:002007-06-28T12:58:32.553-04:00

(image from tn3-2.deviantart.com a Cyrillic site that I can't decipher...)I have to admit, I've learned a lot about public sculpture in the years I've been writing this blog. Even though I thought I was savvy before, the stories that have come to light through my research have been pretty amazing.So I'd like to announce a new project and hope for some input as I go along. I'll be writing a book

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-58962472218790339402007-01-14T17:43:00.000-05:002007-01-14T19:24:41.980-05:00

I was perusing the forum section of a sculpture site and was struck by the profound cry of one sculptor."Is the art we make really important? Not just to the makers but, to people living and working today. Why do we do it, is it just self-fullfilling with imagined value?"There were a number of answers to his plea, but it got me thinking about this age old question- especially in terms of the USA

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-10374236443887487522007-01-06T10:48:00.000-05:002007-01-06T13:34:27.322-05:00

What do Target and ancient Greek dirty tricks and political scandals have to do with one another?I wouldn't have figured it out either, but listen my children and you will hear...It all began with an dinner conversation I had with one of David's old friends, a professor at Amherst, last Fall. I was telling her about my work in progress- Tales of a Stone Pilgrim- the book. I told her the opening

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-28267440294636750082007-01-01T11:13:00.000-05:002007-01-01T11:56:32.572-05:00

Image from msnbc.com website Happy New Year! As everyone probably already know, art conservators (Led by a German architect and Italian engineers) have been working their derrieres off trying to restore the giant Buddhas of Bamyani that the Taliban offed in 2001. They've been gathering dust and chunks of debris- 60% stone and plaster and the rest pretty much powder to rebuild the two big

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-15230438644695664382006-12-24T11:02:00.000-05:002006-12-24T11:09:59.781-05:00

After a several month hiatus due to personal circumstances and overacheiving in other areas (see my website stonepilgrim.com) regular weekly postings on More Tales of A Stone Pilgrim will return- addressing such questions as Who Killed the Herms- and Why?,and Is a Replacement as Good as the Original? Stay posted. First Blog will be Jan 1, 2007!Happy New Year to everyone!

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1156848830747622322006-08-29T05:20:00.000-04:002006-08-30T17:57:16.356-04:00

AP photo from the FDNY websiteYou know, it's not easy to talk about the 9/11 memorials because they're considered sacred just by the fact that they exist. If I don't like a piece or think it's badly done, and I say it, I open myself to cries of insensitivity and probably questionable politics. On the other hand, I'm not in the habit of genuflecting at the altar of political

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1156348060612037352006-08-23T11:40:00.000-04:002006-08-23T11:47:40.626-04:00

There are three ways to make a war (or any other) memorial effective.1) Put it on the site of the event it commemorates2) Use materials from some object that was involved in the event3) Make a great or thought-provoking piece of art that can stand on its own merits.I’ve been following the stories of 9/11 monuments and will be dedicating the next few blogs to them. This is a big deal, this

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1155305507967799602006-08-11T10:03:00.000-04:002006-08-11T10:11:47.980-04:00

photo from Reuters...I rarely break my schedule for news in the sculpture world and almost never cover museum exhibit stories, but this one was too good to pass up. Seems as how my good old pal Daniel Edwards, the fellow who gave us "Brittany giving Birth", has followed up that piece of timeless art with a new one- a bust of Hillary Clinto nude to be displayed at New York's Museum of Sex. As

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1155133078023140342006-08-09T09:58:00.000-04:002006-08-09T10:17:58.393-04:00

picture from williams college website...To continue with my obsession with giant body parts...We've moved at last to Williamstown and I've been touring the amazing art museums and galleries the Berkshires have to offer. One of the two home town piles is the Williams College Art Museum which has blown me away on three occasions already. Such vision! Such scope!But I lyricize prematurely.In front

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1154460509518574012006-08-01T15:22:00.000-04:002006-08-01T15:50:47.086-04:00

photo from: http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/middleeastnow/word-into-art/artists/i/tanavoliWho is Parviz Tanovali and why is he making these statues?I just learned that he’s creating a statue to honor the people of Lebanon for their suffering in the current bombardment, but his focus has to be a precarious one, because “It’s difficult to evoke both sympathy and hatred in a work.” He’s actually

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1151807786203492732006-07-01T20:31:00.000-04:002006-08-01T15:43:57.980-04:00

photo from: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/3970861.htmlThere are plenty of tales of public scultpure going around these days, and this is just a quick update:Luis Jimenez, amazing sculptor whose "Mustang" series is probably the best known of his work, died 2 weeks ago when the leg of one of the Mustangs he was readying for the Dallas Airport dropped from its mooring, crashed into him

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1150300574353204782006-06-14T11:47:00.000-04:002006-06-14T12:07:27.000-04:00

http://www.hamburg.de/image_article.do?cId=6207503 photoGoooooooaaaaaaallllllllll!!!!!!!!!!Hamburg’s got the picture, the concept, the winner (so far) of my “Best World Cup Sculpture” award of 2006! They’re sculptures, really- maxing out at about 300 of them when they’re finished (though as of June 6, there were only 160 in place- impressive enough). Called “Blue Goals”, they’re a cross

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1149731433596342332006-06-07T21:38:00.000-04:002006-06-10T15:18:15.183-04:00

photo from http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021218/biz.htmSo I decided that this being World Cup week, I should find out more about the world of soccer sculpture. Of course there are the biggies, like Uwe’s giant foot in Germany, but the best stories seem to revolve around the fabled Brit- David Beckham.The first story hit the press in 2000 when an ultra fan in Thailand, a sculptor with the

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1149014880920612642006-05-30T13:44:00.000-04:002006-05-30T15:00:11.243-04:00

(photo from http://www.botanicgardens.org/pageinpage/wicksculpturesmain2006.cfm)You know, sometimes I think I’m still a teenager, the way I get crushes on sculptures and their stories. It seems as if I’m always falling in love with a piece, a sculptor, the story of a piece, concepts, whatever. And my crushes aren’t puppy love. They’re full-blown combos of lust and passion. I am dizzy for days

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1148416817801265512006-05-23T16:35:00.000-04:002006-05-23T16:40:17.803-04:00

So I'm now a member of feedster, which means if you want to be notified every time I add to this blog, you just have to add your email address in the spot at the bottom of the page. What- I ask- could be more appealing than to know that I've pontificated again- as it happens???

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1148313056459345462006-05-22T11:46:00.000-04:002006-05-22T11:52:36.320-04:00

Who do you have to blow around here to get information on public sculpture? I’ve spent plenty of time and effort gathering public sculpture database websites and a small print library at home, but every time I want extensive info on public pieces away from home, I go nuts. The basic info source for the stuff is supposed to be the Smithsonian Art Inventory site:http://

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1147380340872455812006-05-11T16:12:00.000-04:002006-05-11T16:45:40.893-04:00

So I got married this week after a 13 year hiatus as a single woman.It was a marvelous weekend in Boston and we were all a bit carried away with the proceedings which, not surprisingly, centered on a fine piece of public sculpture in the Public Garden. When we decided to get hitched last December there was no hesitation as to where the ceremony should be- in the Garden in front of my favorite

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1143595474603733222006-03-28T19:58:00.000-05:002006-05-11T16:57:43.053-04:00

I was sent a link from a close friend asking what I thought of the new Daniel Edwards statue of Britney Spears giving birth. It's being shown at a New York Gallery and labels the queen of bellies as a pro-life icon. Fair enough.The piece is fairly tacky, from the pix I've seen, and, this being the US, there is no back view of it, which, in real life, is said to feature the crowning head of her

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1134964010857181842005-12-18T22:26:00.000-05:002005-12-18T22:46:50.936-05:00

There are times when I can barely hold myself together after I make a sculpture discovery. This time I may need to be committed, as my head is swirling. The following story should knock your socks off.A baby girl was born in Rochester in 1891. She and her mother moved to NYC and in 1906 she was discovered by a photographer who recognized her for the babe she was and he introduced her to his

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1127592793170160862005-09-24T16:09:00.000-04:002005-09-24T16:43:06.863-04:00

(Photo from the New York Times website) Some stories are just too good to be true. There’s a public art piece that’s been floating around Manhattan Island recently called, appropriate, “Floating Island”. It was designed in 1973 by an artist named Robert Smithson- an earth artist who was fascinated with the dislocation of nature. It’s a unique concept that really appeals to me, using a scow

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1125497002787609802005-08-31T09:41:00.000-04:002005-08-31T10:03:22.793-04:00

(Photo from stonegrovememorials.com site)I am, in fact, a memorial sculpture freak. I haunt cemeteries wherever I go and am sometimes so moved by the sculptures I see on graves that I actually sit and comtemplate the dead under them. But today I learned about a memorial that seems like a plot for a fairytale. I'm amazed it hasn't been done before.In 2001, a fireguy by the name of Peter Firehock

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1124985859598550892005-08-25T12:04:00.000-04:002005-08-25T12:10:54.543-04:00

(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

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1124634480225317222005-08-21T10:28:00.000-04:002005-08-21T10:34:08.340-04:00

(Photo of Dave Johnson's work The Eternal Triangle from www.caerllion.net/art/sculpture03/johnson.htm )I love it when art, history and nature collide. As in the case of Dave Johnson and the Trafalgar Oaks.Johnson carves wood in Gloucestershire. And he was chosen to work his magic on one of Nelson's Oaks in the Forest of Dean on the east border of Wales to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1124436827280805792005-08-19T03:33:00.000-04:002005-08-19T03:38:30.956-04:00

(Photo from http://www.thomas-glover-w.com/sculpture website)You know, some day I just have to move to a country of adults.I was reading tonight about a new waterside park sculpture to be put in Beaufort, SC. The piece sounds innocuous enough- it's just a soapstone wave that's deposited a mermaid, a sun and a few fish. Cute. Like Disney. And Beaufort's willing to cough up the dough out of its new

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1115542868489574022005-05-08T05:01:00.000-04:002005-05-08T05:27:08.596-04:00

(Photo from http://jjorg.chem.unc.edu/lab/Images/Vegas2001/DamWorkerStatue.jpg)A lot of Americans tend to think there's something suspect about a statue that celebrates the worker. After all, hasn't it always been socialist and communist countries that give the common worker his (or her) due in heroic monuments with ideal types facing the wind, raising their heads and hands to the nation? Aside

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1114874494399448992005-04-30T11:21:00.000-04:002005-04-30T11:42:19.030-04:00

Who knows anything about Rhode Island? Raise your hands. Thought so. I myself was limited to the "smallest state" "ocean state" school of knowledge until I moved here 4 years ago.One of the most fascinating things I learned about this place was that it has a fabulous tough tradition of thumbing its nose at big government, as might be expected from a state founded by an exile looking for universal

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1111531697526790362005-03-22T17:48:00.000-05:002005-03-22T17:50:07.626-05:00

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1111251965414717042005-03-19T12:06:00.000-05:002005-03-19T12:09:44.650-05:00

(Photo from the BBC News website)Breaking news...What best signifies a man? Is it his physical image, an exact likeness of his visage and bulk? Or is it an interpretation of the qualities that people know him by? And if the latter, how best to interpret them?It appears that the BBC has done it again. They've just unveiled Paul de Monchaux's tribute to Winston Churchill in Westminister Palace.

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1110767701700611322005-03-13T21:35:00.000-05:002005-03-13T21:39:51.216-05:00

(Photo from http://www.centralpark2000.com/database/romeo.html)I was walking through NYC's Central Park last fall (long before the advent of the Home Depot curtain display) and heard two fellows discussing Shakespeare's statue. One asked the other what a sonnet was. His guidebook referred to Shakespeare's sonnets, and here he was, looking at the guy in bronze tights, and he didn't know what they

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1110393441205216122005-03-09T13:37:00.000-05:002005-03-09T13:44:39.506-05:00

(photo of Foley's earlier work "Winged Harvest" from fineartforum.org)I've wanted to talk about intention in sculpture for a while now, and didn't quite know how to anchor it. But I'm a child of the sixties and a fan of the "New Criticism" which, effectively, states that an artwork is what it is. Seems clear. It doesn't matter what the artist's intent was, what was happening in her life at the

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1109860073742579772005-03-03T09:27:00.000-05:002005-03-03T09:31:08.806-05:00

(photo from Lenins of the World website)OK. I don't usually do this. In fact I've never done this before- but today's blog is mostly a link to a fine website I found that says it almost as well as I can!It's all about Lenin. When I read that Fremont/Seattle reputedly has the world's largest Vlad Lenin statue (which is displayed near the shell of a Soviet-era rocket), and other statues of the

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1109528014282437202005-02-27T13:13:00.000-05:002005-02-27T13:18:04.426-05:00

(photo from http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/vanitas.html)I read an interveiw with Damian Hirst in the NYT today.He has switched to painting because, he says, he got bored of being who he was- of putting animals in formaldehyde. Me, too. So I searched the web for examples of his painting and was pretty surprised to find I liked them. But that's beside the point.Something I read suggested that his

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1109262063472544052005-02-24T11:21:00.000-05:002005-02-24T11:26:26.206-05:00

(photo fromhttp://flickr.com/photos/search/tags:cloud+gate/tagmode:any/)I was so appalled by stories coming out of Chicago about the ban on photographs of Anish Kapoor's "Bean" or "Cloud Gate", that I was knocked speechless for a few days.Now the word on the streets is that Christo is trying to get away with the same nonsense with his The Gates (TM) (n.b. that C is claiming to have trademarked

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1109007145088241472005-02-21T12:32:00.000-05:002005-02-21T12:40:13.373-05:00

(Photo from the forestofdean-sculpture.org.uk site)The first real sound sculpture I can remember running into was in the Forest of Dean. Melissa's Swing was one of the first pieces on the sculpture trail there and comprised a swing with wind chimes above. As you sat in the swing, you activated the very gentle chimes and it made you more aware of the forest sounds around you. Slick.The next was in

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1108648697991152682005-02-17T08:58:00.000-05:002005-02-17T09:04:16.186-05:00

(Photo from the ananova.com website)For those of you who were readers of the original Stone Pilgrim blog over at salon (blogs.salon.com/0003346), I have good news. Yesterday's sculpture news around the world offered follow ups to at least two stories.The first is the latest episode in the Beheaded Maggie Thatcher saga. If you'll remember, the marble statue was decapitated in 2002 by an enraged

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1108484264635816952005-02-15T11:17:00.000-05:002005-02-15T11:20:41.646-05:00

(photo from uni website)I was just following an old conversation over on sculpture.net and gotcaught up in the idea of sculpture theater. I'm not talking here aboutsculpture as props for plays. I'm exploring the idea of sculptureitself as theater set- as part of the dramatic production itself. So Iwent to the net and began surfing.Of course I'd known about Noguchi's collaborations with dance

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1108323769481435292005-02-13T14:42:00.000-05:002005-02-13T14:47:10.443-05:00

On Friday, the Lincoln Society of Jersey City met at the Prez's statue there for a few words and the reading of his Cooper Union speech before they adjourned for dinner. Pretty ordinary stuff. But the tinder for a fascinating discovery.Seems that this sculpture, known as "Mystic Lincoln", was erected in 1930 to mark the eastern end of the Lincoln Highway- the first US transcontinental highway.

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1108076550437798802005-02-10T18:02:00.000-05:002005-02-21T12:42:30.723-05:00

(Photo from Prometheus imports website)Fascinating controversy in Oregon over whether to erect a statue of Hebe or not.Seems that the town had a nice little fountain put in by the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1908. It was placed to encourage the local men and beasts to drink water instead of booze, and on top was a statue of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth. A neoclassical redition of

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1107962516241773412005-02-09T10:21:00.000-05:002005-02-10T19:27:44.046-05:00

(Photo from Noguchi Museum website) 17 years ago, a Catholic magazine asked me to do an article about Isumu Noguchi, who had just died. It seems that he was a Catholic, but didn't want a big deal made of it. As a matter of fact, he never identified himself as such in interviews. It was an interesting assignment, and I came through, using whatever evidence I could find to fit him into that context

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1107789748782375492005-02-07T10:22:00.000-05:002005-02-10T19:30:37.296-05:00

It's only February and the controversy is hot and heavy in public sculpture land- particularly in the area of former hated rulers. First, from the Congo comes news that a statue of King Leopold II of Belgium that was torn down during Mobutu's reign was re-erected by the government in an attempt to represent all periods of the country's history, including its colonial era. It was supposed to

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10436228.post-1107731596853130352005-02-06T18:08:00.000-05:002005-02-06T18:37:39.586-05:00

because I had so many changes, including that of a hosting site and finishing my documentary on war memorials, I've been remiss in blogging. But I found myself bereft when I faced so many great stories and realized I'd kept NO ONE up to date! I here and now resolve to fix this situation. beginning tomorrow, join me regularly on this channel!

taphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06470451680339395845noreply@blogger.com0