New $2.25M art installation (Blue Ring 2.0)

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Looks nice to me, seems like a whole lot of complaining for nothing

There's about $2.25 million reasons to complain. I don't mind it either and think it actually looks good. That price is outrageous though.

[Barnes]

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Mesopotamian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Etruscan

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Dynastic Egyptian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Ancient Roman

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some pre-Renaissance Italian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some pre-Impressionist Frenchperson

There's also a really cool piece going inside the BMO Centre but it's a secret AFAIK.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by blankall

There's about $2.25 million reasons to complain. I don't mind it either and think it actually looks good. That price is outrageous though.

I look at that and think the price tracks. I mean, raw materials alone are crazy. Site prep isn't free. Labour to fabricate and assemble? Not free. Moving this thing from A to B? Also not cheap. You're going to want every company who touches this thing to be insured - that ain't cheap. Like, if this topples over and injures you, you're going to want to be able to assign blame and seek compensation.

I honestly don't think anybody is retiring off this price. Do you work with industrial fabrication/manufacturing? Total price tag of $2.5 million is not crazy.

Here's a car for sale at the Calgary Porsche dealership for $330,000. Some dude that I guarantee you'll know through three degrees of Kevin Bacon will buy this thing and drive around for a while until he crashes it in a few years. It'll mostly live in his garage and be enjoyed by him when he feels like cracking a beer and staring at his cool car in his garage.

This art piece will last generations, looks cool AF, will be enjoyed by millions of people over the decades and only cost 7x more than a fricken car, dude.

To think that price is "outrageous" speaks more to your own naivety than the actual value/worth.

[BlackArcher101]

Ya, doesn't seem much based on some items I've had fabricated in the past.
I can guarantee you it would be even more if it was done locally. I found doing so overseas and paying the insane shipping was still overall cheaper for most things. Alberta seems to have a +15% percent over the rest of Canada and then Canada has about 150% over a place overseas.

[TheIronMaiden]

Public art is cool.

[firebug]

I love all these public art pieces and take my kids to see them as well as family and friends who visit from out of town.

But what I really love about them isn't the art itself... it's all these cherished memories that they create. These are the things that create 'place' an emotional feeling and attachment to where we live... and I am grateful for them.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Barnes

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Mesopotamian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Etruscan

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Dynastic Egyptian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some Ancient Roman

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some pre-Renaissance Italian

That thing is ugly and stupid looking. Modern art is awful. Human beings stopped creating beautiful things a long time ago. It’s a shame.
-Some pre-Impressionist Frenchperson

There's also a really cool piece going inside the BMO Centre but it's a secret AFAIK.

I remember the squawks about Family of Man by the old CBE building back when it was installed.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I remember the squawks about Family of Man by the old CBE building back when it was installed.

Did that one even cost us? I seem to remember it being a gift from Montreal or Quebec after the Expo there.

But we'd still complain if free. LOL.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Did that one even cost us? I seem to remember it being a gift from Montreal or Quebec after the Expo there.

But we'd still complain if free. LOL.

Yeah, it was bought from the Expo '67 British Pavillion and donated to the City.

People complained about the lavishness of the Centre St Bridge when it was built as well.

[PaperBagger'14]

"I think pieces like this are finally starting to demonstrate that if you want to be a city that people feel welcomed in, that people want to visit, that people are proud to live in, it requires the beauty of public art," she (Mayor Gondek) said.

Meanwhile a hobo was pissing in an alley about 30 feet from the podium

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by puckedoff

The ring is great and anyone who thinks otherwise is a peanut brain.

Honestly, the ring is fine .... except the location is dumb.

Same thing with the falling water by Winsport. It's fine, but the location is dumb.

Stop putting public art by the god damn highway!

[Swift]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I remember the squawks about Family of Man by the old CBE building back when it was installed.

From what I've read on it, a lot of the complaints were because it contained *oymygosh* nudity

Interesting thing about the statues is that when they were on display at the expo, they were just randomly situated around the place. They were never designed to be grouped together but they ended up that way in Calgary and in my mind does make more sense as a "family". It's hard to think of them any other way now.

[nik-]

I'd love to see the Venn diagram of people who complain about the cost of this with those who supported the Flames getting tax dollars for their arena. I bet it would be hilarious.

[2ArmBands]

So this mayor botches an arena deal over 20 million dollars of “green initiatives” in the new building. Proceeds to stand next to a 2.5 million dollar piece of blue metal weighing thousands of pounds that will cost how much money and energy to get over the Atlantic?

What a clown.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

So this mayor botches an arena deal over 20 million dollars of “green initiatives” in the new building.

Nope.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

Proceeds to stand next to a 2.5 million dollar piece of blue metal weighing thousands of pounds that will cost how much money and energy to get over the Atlantic?

What a clown.

“2.5 million dollar” … “cost how much money…?”

Same sentence. We’re dealing with winners.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

“2.5 million dollar” … “cost how much money…?”

Same sentence. We’re dealing with winners.

But losers in reading comprehension.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Need more horsey statues at Stampede Park.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Great article Rick!

Don’t think we’ve seen PF and RB together at the same time. Coincidence?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by nik-

I'd love to see the Venn diagram of people who complain about the cost of this with those who supported the Flames getting tax dollars for their arena. I bet it would be hilarious.

Literally the next post…

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

So this mayor botches an arena deal over 20 million dollars of “green initiatives” in the new building. Proceeds to stand next to a 2.5 million dollar piece of blue metal weighing thousands of pounds that will cost how much money and energy to get over the Atlantic?



What a clown.