Wexford Council wants "something more traditional"

Wexford County Council / Wexford Borough Council has a history of the Councillors and Arts Officers rejecting contemporary work in favour of safe work.
Phil Napier’s Shirts were rejected from New Ross by the Chamber of Commerce, Rory Breslin’s JFK was another mystery.

It’s amazing that they allow White’s Hotel to ruin the skyline of Wexford and Tesco to erect another Engine Shed of a store.

Maybe if Marco Dessardo was from Wexford it would have been accepted, it seems to me that only ‘native’ artists are allowed to produce ‘contemporary art’ over and over agin

They pictures were released in the Wexford People today. And let me say…It is the ugliest piece of sculpture i have ever seen in my entire life. Its like…pipes and a huge red block. and the other one had a concrete boat and more pipe. Im all for modern art, but this was terrible!!!

And to top it all off, the council will apparently have to go ahead with the design due to contracts or something.

more
http://www.evening-herald.ie/wexford_people/stories.php3?ca=34&si=1742091&issue_id=15009

I’d want to see a few images of the proposal before declaiming, but it’s entirely possible that it actually isn’t good. Sometimes people have the right kneejerk reactions for the wrong reasons.

A Richard Serra piece would be fantastic for Wexford.

@Mansard wrote:

So, Sfamato, as a resident of Wexford what would you prefer?

More historical pagentry? Something that will be forgotten in a few months time. Would you like something that pays homage to a single-sided inaccurate view of some skirmish that was really a good excuse for hanging protestants, that would be 1798 and all that. Would you like another Pikeman, or maybe a viking boat or something similar to the Shaw’s building, another crass Tourist Office, a whites hotel, or maybe something like the new Tesco Store.

Or something that wiill generate interest in the town, why can so many developing countries and so called ‘deprived 3rd’ world countries accept Marco Dessardo’s work yet this country, ‘one of the best economies and most advanced etc etc, cannot.

Sfamato have you ever seen the Lloyds Building or The Beaubourg Centre? If they can use pipes why not Wexford.

I don’t think a historical sculpture or anything “rebelious” would be right for the town because as you were clearly getting at, the town is full of it. and as for your list I for one dont see anything wrong with the Shaws building, its better than what was there and has rejuvinated that part of the town, the tourist office is different, cant say im overly impressed with it, but i still dont see a problem with it. Whites is not everyones taste, I walk into town by passing it by, and i smile because it reminds me of the Enterprise. And as for the Tesco store, what exactly were you expecting? A Georgian castle?

I dont know if the sculpture would generate interest in the town except to get people laughing at it as the drive past it on the bridge. I personally dont see what it represents, I can get what it is. If you explain to me what it is suppose to be, maybe ill look at it differently, but as it stands right now, for me, It’s weird for weirds sake.

I personally don’t know what should go inplace on it, I honestly dont.

Coming over from Ferrybank? There was a BP station there when I was living in Wexford, unless it’s a different site you’re talking about.

reminds me of the situation in Dun Laoghaire, except i like that one. It has a maritime theme and the colour is nice. But theCouncillors want ot locate it s,omehwere more suitable. ie out of sight. In the wexford case, I can’t find anything of merit in either the pics or the video on the dessardo’s website. However it’s probably better than anything “more traditional” that will be proposed…

Regardless of how you feel about the sculpture – and I happen to think it looks promising, though I’d need to see it in more detail – this story neatly sums up so much that’s wrong with the involvement of town/county councillors in the running of their local areas.

With few exceptions, councillors have no experience of judging art. However, they have limited knowledge of architecture, traffic, drainage etc. but it hasn’t stopped them meddling… sorry, being involved in the planning process, and their limited knowledge of heritage/conservation hasn’t stopped them being involved in the compilation of the RPS, so it should be no surprise that they feel qualified to pass comment on this competition winner.

What’s the age profile of the councillors? And the gender split? If more than 25% of them are not middle aged males, I’ll eat my hat. Probably the closest most of them ever get to an aesthetic judgement is lying in response to the question ‘Does my bum look big in this?’

Has anyone asked local kids what they’d think of it? I suspect they’d be far more in favour (and more in favour of something like this than of something ‘more traditional’) as it looks like the kind of sculpture that kids would interact with, and surely the opinions of locals who will be around for more than the next 20 years are more important that the opinions of locals who see their tenure on the council as a reward for blind loyalty to their birthplace?

Ctesiphon, you nake a very good point

@sfamato wrote:

Its a private carpark now i think isnt it? .

Yip
It’s a shame they won’t something worthwhile with the space, seeing as it is straight in front of ye when you come over thebridge. Wfat was the line from Iggy Pop about a town’s “ripped backside”