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What's the worst public art in New England?
By adamg on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 8:28am
Greg Cook, at the New England Journal of Aesthetic Research, posts a manifesto on ghastly public art and asks for your nominations:
... We also believe that public art - even works we hate - should be given a chance. Years. Sometimes it takes a while for something to grow on you. Sometimes it takes a while just to figure something out. Sometimes something that looked cool at first becomes trite. Or it breaks down.
But we believe that after giving public art a fair shot, the public has the right to impeach bad public art. We don't mean for bad public art to be destroyed. Just removed. Perhaps some other community would benefit from some quality time with it. And new public art should take the place of the impeached work. ...
He'll then put the choices to a vote and lead a campaign to get the absolute worst piece removed from the public eye.
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Comments
How about the falling apart,
How about the falling apart, rusted trash down by the four point channel?
Isn't that the
Hurley Building?
Rather difficult to remove though. But, as Frank Lloyd Wright is claimed to have said "A doctor can always bury his mistakes. An architect can only advise his client to plant ivy."
No contest here... it's those
No contest here...
it's those very large angle brackets next to Harbor Towers. They are not only unimaginative and ugly, but they also block views of the harbor. They should be moved to the ICA building... that's the building on the harbor that is often confused with a parking garage. A few folks have asked me why anyone bothered to build a parking garage surrounded by parking lots. I explained that the building isn't a garage but rather a museum imitating a garage.
That did give me a
That did give me a chuckle.
But seriously, I don't think the ICA is as much of a failure as some would have us believe. Was down there last Saturday and it was packed, along with the harbor walk around it and the grassy area next to it. People were really enjoying the open space next to the harbor. YMMV though, and I doubt it's as busy in the winter (I myself never walk down there when it's cold)
The ongoing performance art
The ongoing performance art of Howie Carr.
For me, it's a toss up between
the iron hands sticking out of the walls of the Park Street Red Line platforms or the bronze gloves welded to the escalators at the Porter Square station.
I figured the gloves were at
I figured the gloves were at Porter to discourage skateboarders and the like.
I think I dislike skateboarders more than I dislike that stupid art installation.
Gloves
The gloves make up one of the artworks that have been there since the opening of the station. They're by Mags Harries, the same artist who did the bronze trash in the crosswalk at Haymarket.