Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Antidote to Darkness (Poor taste alert)

Changing the tone somewhat ... this appeared in the paper today, and I'm sorry, but it made me laugh like a fat spider.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/blowup-dog-poo-causes-museum-chaos-20080812-3ttz.html

In case the page vanishes (because I'd just hate you to miss this), I'll do a quick cut and paste if I can:



Brought down a power line ... a giant dog turd, as seen in this screen grab from the Paul Klee Centre website, blew away from an exhibition in Switzerland. Photo: Paul Klee Centre


Blow-up dog poo causes museum chaos
August 12, 2008 - 11:32AM
A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy has blown away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before landing again.

The art work, titled Complex Shit, is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children's home, said museum director Juri Steiner.

The inflatable turd broke the window at the children's home when it blew away on the night of July 31, Steiner said.

The art work has a safety system that normally makes it deflate when there is a storm, but this did not work when it blew away.

Steiner said McCarthy had not yet been contacted and the museum was not sure if Complex Shit would be put back on display.
AFP

I absolutely love this - an art installation that has truly taken on a life of its own. Call it social commentary, call it happy coincidence, call it a political or artistic statement, but safe in the knowlege that no-one was hurt, rejoice. No pavement is big enough to hold this baby!

In the light of these developments, however, I think "Complex Shit" should now be renamed "Bad Shit", or even "Shit Happens". And if the artist or gallery refuses to pay for any damages caused: "Tough Shit".

Just as well it didn't float into one of those giant wind turbines. Then it would really have hit the fan.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Out of body

Some nights
she needs her garden;
eyes shut tightly
so she can see.
The colours soothe her,
the scents distract her
from the ugliness,
the pain,
the stench of his breath.
And while she's there,
no-one can touch her,
no-one can hurt her.
And she will stay there
Until he's gone.