Sculpture trail plan would breathe new life into waterway

[CanalWalker]

Art on the Cut

 

Sculpture trail plan would breathe new life into waterway

 

Jul 2 2007 by Paula Owens, Liverpool Daily Post

 

A SCULPTURE trail consisting of six artworks is planned as part of plans to breathe new life into a stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.

 

Councillors on Sefton’s planning committee have approved a proposal for the first of the six artworks, entitled Carrying Star, which will be located in Rimrose Valley in Netherton.

 

The £90,000 project, known as the Plantlife Sculpture Trail, was masterminded by South Sefton Development Trust, together with artists from Safe Productions.

 

It will be partly funded with a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the remainder will come from public funds.

 

The six artworks, which will relate to the history of the South Sefton area, will run along the canal from the Sefton border to Rimrose Valley.

[carlt]

Art on the Cut

 

 

It will be partly funded with a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the remainder will come from public funds.

 

Err...that's 100% public funding then?

 

Maybe the artists should be told "If you want to display your hobby on the tow-path, we won't charge you. You may even pick up some customers."

[John Orentas]

Err...that's 100% public funding then?

 

Maybe the artists should be told "If you want to display your hobby on the tow-path, we won't charge you. You may even pick up some customers."

 

 

 

 

They must also document and demonstrate long term funding for the maintenance and ultimate removal of said masterpiece.

 

In contrast to what happens now: We present the young student artist with an absurdly large cheque, we landscape and prepare a suitable site, a group of VIPs are invited to grand unveiling again at our expense. A little later the work of art is covered in graffiti, nobody thought to even mow the grass around it. A little later the monstrosity is such an eyesore and a centre for drug taking, a crew from the council arrive to clear and landscape the site.

 

A little later, a limp wristed art tutor says "That place is crying out for a nice work of art."

[denboy]

The £90,000 project

 

wonder how many lock repairs that would do ??

[CanalWalker]

£90,000 would get you one set of lock gates and £20k change (not inc wages etc)

[alant]

I consider the art installation at Newbold to be wonderful and inspirational, but then again I hope I still have soul. What do all of you think of it ??

[carlt]

I consider the art installation at Newbold to be wonderful and inspirational, but then again I hope I still have soul. What do all of you think of it ??

I consider that I've helped fund somebody's hobby and they call it work. An artist paid from the public purse is on benefits, without the requirement to look for proper work.

[denboy]

We have plenty of young artists around this neck of the woods they have "decorated"all the bridges for Free

[Breals]

Heh!

 

There's nothing wrong with public money being spent on stuff for non-boating canal visitors to enjoy. However I'm losing my patience with these public art projects too, there are so many of them they don't have the same impact as the early ones did. Every town can't have its own Angel of the North.

 

Maybe sometimes Public Art is appropriate. But perhaps more often perhaps its just some local councillor wanting to leave his mark on the landscape. Maybe he'd be better off with a can of spray paint?

[carlt]

Heh!

 

There's nothing wrong with public money being spent on stuff for non-boating canal visitors to enjoy. However I'm losing my patience with these public art projects too, there are so many of them they don't have the same impact as the early ones did. Every town can't have its own Angel of the North.

 

Maybe sometimes Public Art is appropriate. But perhaps more often perhaps its just some local councillor wanting to leave his mark on the landscape. Maybe he'd be better off with a can of spray paint?

Sorry, if an artist wants to put the results of his hobby in a public place he should have to pay, or get a private individual to pay.

[Breals]

Carl, I was broadly supportive of you in that I dislike most of this so called art, but there have been some instances where it has been shown to have benefitted places and raised their profile. The problem is this only happens rarely and the rest of the time it's a 'let's jump on the band-wagon' thing - it hasn't been thought through properly, is a waste of money, and the art itself is embarrassingly half-assed.

 

Even so, to say this is the same as indulging someones hobby at the public expense isn't quite right. That would probably apply more to the upkeep of the locks and bridges for us boaters!!! (Just kidding, obviously!)

[carlt]

Carl, I was broadly supportive of you in that I dislike most of this so called art, but there have been some instances where it has been shown to have benefitted places and raised their profile. The problem is this only happens rarely and the rest of the time it's a 'let's jump on the band-wagon' thing - it hasn't been thought through properly, is a waste of money, and the art itself is embarrassingly half-assed.

 

Even so, to say this is the same as indulging someones hobby at the public expense isn't quite right. That would probably apply more to the upkeep of the locks and bridges for us boaters!!! (Just kidding, obviously!)

The upkeep of the canals is maintaining a public asset, paid for by the public.

If I choose to donate my boats to a publicly owned museum then I would expect them to be maintained at the public's expense. But a boater doesn't expect the public purse to maintain his boat, however decorative and no matter how beneficial it is to the system.

[gaggle]

i have got nothing against the art trail they plan but these bast***s at sefton council have got a canal corridor where the waterway is strewn with rubbish and huge roofing sheets and from what i can see they have done nothing to put a stop to cause of the problem.

on another thread i posted pics of derilect factories in the area close to the proposed art installations , this blight is a result of sefton councils policy to handle the new heartlands inititive so how they can release press notices that praise the way they are trying to improve the canal corridor is beyond me.

they refuse to allow a wharf to be developed that would bring boats to the area for services and instead enter into an understanding with bw to have houses built on it.

i have never had a reply to my reqeusts for info about the rubbish problems and these requests always go to several departments , health and safety , enviromental health and housing regeneration.

all the boats on the coal and cotten rally had to pass through bootle area and the council did not seem to be bothered about the visual impact all these visitors experienced on the passage.

 

pr***s

[Machpoint005]

I consider the art installation at Newbold to be wonderful and inspirational, but then again I hope I still have soul. What do all of you think of it ??

 

It's a bunch of wierd coloured lights: makes the tunnel vaguely memorable but I can't say my soul was moved by it.

 

In general, today's public artwork is tomorrow's base for graffiti.

[denboy]

So theres going to be 6 of these masterpieces lets say the materials cost £2,000 each

that leaves £78,000 and lets say it takes 2 months to do each one , thats £13000 each or £6,500 a month £1650 aweek not bad wages that think ill nip down to the poly tech and sign up for a art course

[JohnO]

I have a friend who now lives on the waterways who is responable for the "Art" we have around these ways. The money comes from "Euro" grants which otherwise would not be seen on the canals so I have no problem

[carlt]

I have a friend who now lives on the waterways who is responable for the "Art" we have around these ways. The money comes from "Euro" grants which otherwise would not be seen on the canals so I have no problem

As there are other things in life (and europe) to spend money on than canals, or somebody's hobby, I still think it is money down the drain.

 

I enjoy restoring land rovers and wooden boats but if I want to do it at the state's expense I'd have to sign on and be actively seeking a real job.

 

'Artists' on publicly funded 'projects' are on state benefits.

[CanalWalker]

well I don't mind the boats at Ellesmere Port having taxpayers money spent on them, if that means the craftsmen doing the work are getting state benefits then thats okay with me.

[carlt]

well I don't mind the boats at Ellesmere Port having taxpayers money spent on them, if that means the craftsmen doing the work are getting state benefits then thats okay with me.

 

Me neither but I don't think privately owned boats, such as mine or Raymond should get a penny. There's a difference between funding a museum (or art gallery that collects established works for posterity) and supporting some scroat out of art college who doesn't want a job.

[gaggle]

what we are going to get i am told celebrates the time when the lords of the area planted a certain kind of grass on the foreshore in 1780.

i cant understand why such an activity needs to be remembered or celebrated , they made some sand dunes to protect a bit of farmland.

[Tinally]

We've got an art trail on our town. The new theatre has what looks like an unravelling roll of wire on the roof ( stainless steel wave sculpture apparently ) and there are some shiny posts stuck in the ground at odd angles behind the supermarket. I am not tempted to go and look for the rest!

 

Dick

[gaggle]

seen a drawing of sculpture for bootle canal corridor , no i wont go on i will find the drawing if i can and post it.

i try to be open to new stuff but if the drawing is anything to go by !!!!!!!!!11

[Machpoint005]

seen a drawing of sculpture for bootle canal corridor , no i wont go on i will find the drawing if i can and post it.

i try to be open to new stuff but if the drawing is anything to go by !!!!!!!!!11

 

Look forward to seeing it!

 

Some public art is brilliant, IMO, (Angel of the North, B of the Bang) but a lot is utter bobbins and extracting the micturate.

 

Ian

[carlt]

Look forward to seeing it!

 

Some public art is brilliant, IMO, (Angel of the North, B of the Bang) but a lot is utter bobbins and extracting the micturate.

 

Ian

It doesn't matter how brilliant it is (which is always a matter of opinion anyway) it shouldn't be funded by the public.

 

I like making beautiful furniture. I wouldn't expect a council grant for it though. Art is a hobby that has become a burden on the public purse by default.

[Machpoint005]

It doesn't matter how brilliant it is (which is always a matter of opinion anyway) it shouldn't be funded by the public.

 

I like making beautiful furniture. I wouldn't expect a council grant for it though. Art is a hobby that has become a burden on the public purse by default.

 

OK, fund it from the Stupidity Tax National Lottery.

 

Ian