Good Lord!
They were looking for something that would be a legacy of their games in London in 2010, and the best they could come up with is this?
Mr Eugenides covers it so brilliantly on his blog, I won’t attempt to better it:
"First London stole the 2012 Olympics from under Paris's delicately upturned nose. Now, it seems, the capital is stealing the concept of her Eiffel Tower as well. For the Olympic Park is to get a mini-Eiffel at the behest of Boris Johnson, the mayor of London.
Nicknaming it the "Hubble Bubble", because it looks like a giant shisha pipe, he said of Kapoor's design: "He has taken the idea of a tower, and transformed it into a piece of modern British art.
"It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have boggled Gustave Eiffel. I believe it will be worthy of London's Olympic and Paralympic Games, and worthy of the greatest city on earth."
Haha, lovely. Like anyone would spend millions putting this twisted piece of crap up as a symbol of our - oh, shit, it's real!"
.... Oh how they will laugh!
They were looking for something that would be a legacy of their games in London in 2010, and the best they could come up with is this?
Mr Eugenides covers it so brilliantly on his blog, I won’t attempt to better it:
"First London stole the 2012 Olympics from under Paris's delicately upturned nose. Now, it seems, the capital is stealing the concept of her Eiffel Tower as well. For the Olympic Park is to get a mini-Eiffel at the behest of Boris Johnson, the mayor of London.
Nicknaming it the "Hubble Bubble", because it looks like a giant shisha pipe, he said of Kapoor's design: "He has taken the idea of a tower, and transformed it into a piece of modern British art.
"It would have boggled the minds of the Romans. It would have boggled Gustave Eiffel. I believe it will be worthy of London's Olympic and Paralympic Games, and worthy of the greatest city on earth."
Haha, lovely. Like anyone would spend millions putting this twisted piece of crap up as a symbol of our - oh, shit, it's real!"
.... Oh how they will laugh!
You have to laugh. What a hideous dogs dinner of a thing! It looks to me like a roller coaster that has fallen over. That’s going to be the legacy a rusting pile of scrap.
ReplyDeleteAh think Edinburgh should get wan over on London. We should get that Kinetic sculpture oot o' the shed an' put it back up at the Top o' the Walk.
ReplyDeleteThat wid show them.
Ye're bein' awfy hard there Munguin. Ye've got tae try tae keep up. Mind how folk created when they put the Forth Brig up. Oh how they hated it. An' afore that, the stushie that was caused by the Scott Monument. Jings, even the Castle upset an awfy lot o' people when they put it up. 'Blocks the view! Too modern! A bit postcairdy!' they aw shouted.
ReplyDeleteYe'll get used tae it.
Doubt we'll need to get used to it Sophia.... It'll probably fall down pretty soon... possibly before the games actually start... if they ever do....
ReplyDeleteOh I know. Who stole my scone?
Dunno, I think I rather like it.
ReplyDeleteNo accounting for taste I suppose :-D
In this piece art and architecture combine to form a whimsical statement with raw intensity. The sculptural form with its graceful lines and asymmetrical presentation are reminiscent of Henry Moore while the intricate weaving of the structural elements are clearly inspired by Celtic design. This triumph of engineering proudly acknowledges its British roots and will be a lasting reminder of who we are as a Nation! A bunch ae eejits.
ReplyDeleteYe wid've thocht they could air-brush aw the wee ants oot o the photie.
ReplyDeleteQM: Och, on the basis that all art is a matter of personal taste, and one person's view is as valid as any other's, I shouldn't really have had a go. It's just....well.... to me it looks like it WAS something before it melted.....
ReplyDeleteHe he he....
Erm... yes Scunnert, exactly what I would have said ... if it hadn't been that the bloody thing fell down before I could get a proper look.
ReplyDeleteSophia... if I were these ants I'd run for cover...
ReplyDeleteI remember the Rt. Horrible Jessa Towel told us that the whole country would have a great legacy from the Olympics, including Scotland.... so are they going to put the melted Eiffel Tower on a lorry and tour it?
Kapoor called it "the commission of a lifetime". He said he and Balmond were referencing the Tower of Babel and trying to convey a sense of instability and a tower that could be viewed differently from different parts of the city.
ReplyDeleteI think he's actually taken inspiration from the K'NEX children's construction toy set.
The "K'NEX Serpent's Spiral Coaster" to be precise.
I note that the billionaire Lakshmi Mittal “donated” 1,400 tonnes of steel for the project, free and for nothing? Well not quite it’s going to be called the ArcelorMittal Orbit after the Labour donor so that’s what you get for your 1,400 tonnes of steel. If you can’t get influence one way you can get it another. Don’t we remember in 2002 when Mittal's LNM steel company, registered in the Dutch Antilles and maintaining less than 1% of its 100,000 plus workforce in the UK, sought Blair's aid in its bid to purchase Romania's state steel industry.
ReplyDeleteThere was a huge scandal and it looked like Mr Mittal would not be Lord Mittal after all. Never mind he has secured himself a different legacy, by buying his way onto the hubble bubble.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know if there is a lift? I can't find anything about how disabled people are to access this shining becon of the greatest city in the world (according to Mayor Boris). Mayor B also went on to say that "I believe it will be worthy of London's Olympic and Paralympic Games". How will para-olympians in wheelchairs get to the top without a lift?
ReplyDeleteDespite getting the steel for "nothing" it is still going to cost £19 million. My god that is half of what it costs to keep Brenda and her blood sucking brood in palaces etc for a year!!
ReplyDeleteHeaven's Doug.... I wouldn't have thought that there was the least bit of inspiration there....I thought it was the least inspired thing I've seen since I visited that demolition site.... but hey ho, what do I know?
ReplyDeleteMind you... on reflection Doug, it might be an idea to see if any of his bairns has a K'nex....
ReplyDeleteOh Munguin: If only I had that much steel to give Boris, maybe he'd name something after me.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to cast aspersions but I'm wondering if Mr Mittal had a load of steel left over, getting in the way, or if there's maybe something he'd like....Lord Mittal maybe?
You're right. Everything that is built now must have disabled access. And something commemorating the Olympics and Paralympics surely must. There will be a lift Munguin, bet on it.... er won’t there?
And as for Batty Boris, what's all that about London being the world's greatest city? I think he should get out more. Has the man never been to Edinburgh?
But it wid be excellent fun comin' doon in a wheelchair, an' up, an' doon again. Ah'm lookin' forward tae it, if ah'm unlucky enough tae be in a wheelchair.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be skiing down Sophia....
ReplyDeleteThis twisted bit of scrap metal has nothing to do with the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteIt is a symbol of New Labour and its legacy.
"Twisted,rubbish,bent,corroded,meaningless junk"
Nice to see you Allan...
ReplyDeleteYou're right about New Labour's legacy. It's a sad time for British politics and a government that lied and cheated to get us to believe thta they were manageing the economy right, when they were actually ruining it and all of us. Damn these people.
Mind, I didn't see anyone else, apart from Vince Cable, actually pointing any of this out.
It has been obvious to the Tories only since it happened. And that includes Ken Clarke, for whom I have every respect.
The thing is that it was arch Tory Bonkers Boris that was the judge on the committee that chose it.... so I'm not sure what that says for it....
Tris your right about Vince Cable but I suppose when your never really realistically going to get into government then you will have no conscience about speaking the truth when predicting the economic downturn.
ReplyDeleteThe Tories on the other hand wouldn't know what a recession was even if it slapped them on the face and as for daft Boris! Was he not born on all fools day?
Aye Allan, the way I see it that leaves us in a fine mess.
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