If you have been following my previous posts from the sculpture festival, you should be able to guess the artist behind these smaller… er… works of art, I suppose… ;) that I found exhibited in an art gallery. *
Well. Not all of them small…
Try putting that giraffe in a park and pretend it’s not meant as a toy…!
* If you have not been following, you will find some additional information here.
Picking up where I left off yesterday…
Today’s paper offered another interview with Belgian artist William Sweetlove, creator of the sculptures ‘Cloned Frogs on Gala Dress’ and three giant dogs, which were vandalized last weekend in connection with an outdoors exhibition in our town.
It turns out that Sweetlove (I can’t get over that name!) really claims to be all PRO cloning (not only of sculptures). My eyes kept getting wider and wider as I read on:
WS: “With global warming there will no longer be enough grass for all cows. My solution is that we create a really big breed of dog and clone that, as food for the cows.”
“So cows should eat dogs?”
WS: “Yes, that is my message. But of course you could clone other animals as well, fish or frogs. Or vegetables if you wish. And you could make other animals smaller so that they don’t need so much food. Like elephants and giraffes the size of chickens.”
“Don’t you like dogs?”
WS: “I love dogs! I have one myself, a big dog named Wizzy. But a dog is really just an animal like any other.”
“Does it have to be dogs?”
WS: “The good thing about dogs is that they are omnivores, they’ll eat anything. But you could use other animals as well. Goats for example.”
The sceptical reporter also checked with Sweetlove’s representative in Sweden:
“His message is that cows should eat dogs in the future. Is he having us on?”
“No, he is being serious.”
I also learn that the sculptures are made of plastic. According to the artist, because he considers this to be recyclable material.
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Another article in the web edition of the paper says that the sculptures will not be put back in the park, but in the yard in front of our temporary library and theatre. There are gates to that yard which can be locked at night, so that sounds like a good decision. (Well – better than the park.)
The same article informs me that we’re stuck with the froggy dress (i.e. the town bought that one) but the dogs are just here for the festival. The dress might be put indoors after the exhibit, even if that was not the original intention.
I have to say I’ll be glad to lose those giant dogs. I found them repulsive to begin with; and after reading about the artist’s views on cloning, even more so. The dress sculpture I still find more interesting. I would definitely not like it back in the park, though, or in an open square in the town centre – it’s much too RED. Actually I think it’s enough to have seen it once. One is not likely to forget it. If we have to keep it I think the foyer of the art museum is probably the best place for it.
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The official opening of the sculpture festival is tomorrow afternoon. Whether I’ll attend depends on the weather. This afternoon we had thunderstorm and torrential rain lasting for hours… The sculptures will be there for the summer. I intend to take photos of them all in due turn, but not all tomorrow.
1. An update on the sculptures:
Today’s paper does not say where the missing sculptures have gone (see previous post), but I take it they’re in some kind of Statue Animal Hospital, waiting for surgery. The article mentions that new ‘parts’ are on their way.
By parts, I suppose they mean more cloned frogs. Because it turns out that’s what they are. They interviewed the artist, and he says “The gala dress is nothing without the frogs, because that’s my message, cloning of animals to satisfy world hunger”. Eh? From the article, I could not make out whether he is in favour of cloning or against it!
So I tried to google him: William Sweetlove. (Really?!) And oh yes, cloning is obviously his theme. As for cloning his own sculptures, he is obviously for that. Even after visiting his home page, I still feel unsure about “the message”, though…
According to the newspaper, what he is not in favour of is people ‘interacting’ with his sculptures: “I am against people playing and climbing on works of art.”
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2. A personal update:
After a three months break I’m allowed back in the rehab pool for the rest of the year (twice a week), starting tomorrow.
They close for five weeks in July, but it’s still five weeks until then. I think it will be good for me. Two mornings a week may not seem much of a routine; but apart from the physical benefits of the training as such, it also helps give a structure to the week.
Today we’re having a whiff of summer here but the forecast predicts lower temperatures again next week. May/June weather is very unpredictable. You may find yourself freezing one day, sweating the next.
I wonder if it would be possible to clone a perfect weather day? And if we managed to do that – would we still find it perfect?
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Photo: From a visit to the Zoo last year. I don’t think those fish were cloned, but who knows.
