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This is no time for life’s little luxuries
Monday 27th April 2009, 8:00PM BST.
Is it right to be spending huge sums of money on public works of art, when the economy is in such desperate need of cash, asks Emma Suddaby.
I’ve been trying very hard not to mention the latest piece of Darwin-inspired artwork that is about to cost Shrewsbury taxpayers an estimated £200,000 of its £350,000 pricetag, but I can’t bite my tongue any longer.
Construction of the Quantum Leap Project or “The Slinky” as some call it, is under starter’s orders and it is hoped that by mid-May, it will be seen rising from the river bank, within the Geo-Garden to mark Darwin’s bicentenary.
Much as I’d love to wax poetic about the real meaning of its quirky curves and congratulate town leaders for making such an inspired choice of commemoration – let’s face it, there’s a time and a place!
I’d truly love to feel able to admire the new sculpture for the beautiful piece of artwork it is, and were it in a gallery somewhere, having cost someone else’s hard-earned cash to install, I could give it the time and thought and admiration it deserves.
However, it’s about to be constructed on our already lovely riverside, in an area that has seen much investment and regeneration (if that’s what you call it), and will be largely paid for by the hard-working folk of Shrewsbury.
Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but when times are hard and I’m not sure my income will cover my out-goings, the little luxuries of life have to take a back seat.
I make sure basic essentials are covered and when things ease up a bit can allow myself the odd little treat again, to make life seem worthwhile. But by ‘little treat’, I mean a cream cake or a new scarf . . . not a costly piece of art.
We’ve hardly ignored our Darwin connection so far; we already have statues and artistic commemorations of his work and his value and importance to the town. It’s just a shame so many Shrewsbury folk will now be labelled ‘Philistines’ for finding it hard to appreciate the Quantum Leap project and the Geo-Garden, when in more abundant times we’d be eager to welcome its arrival and muse on its subtleties.
How about using that £200,000 to regenerate parts of Shrewsbury that haven’t yet seen such investment, and where a little attention could go a long way in the lives of living, breathing citizens?
What better way to mark the memory of a man who was all about evolution, than to spend £200,000 on helping Shrewsbury’s citizens to thrive and move beyond these difficult timesÉ?
Now that’s what I’d call progress.
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Couldn’t have put it better myself – it’s a pity there aren’t more people with a “sensible” outlook like the author of this piece.
“Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but when times are hard and I’m not sure my income will cover my out-goings, the little luxuries of life have to take a back seat.”
Yes – certainly applies to me – but as you must know – that sort of thinking doesn’t apply to any of these sort of “investments” does it ? – if the money is available in the “relevant budget” – then it must be ok to spend it ? – after all – once the money is collected and available – you wouldn’t want to see any of it being given back – would you ?
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I’m all for ‘art’, I’m even in the creative sector myself {www.big-beasts.com} and even though this work is going to look pretty stunning initially, in a couple of years it will just look in the way. Degradation will take its toll both by airbourne natural and human made chemical pollution and also by the hand of vandals.
The 200k should have gone towards promoting the town worldwide with literature, a fantastic interactive website and an educational Darwin centre for all ages. Just a thought…are our hotels and guest houses ready and waiting to greet our visitors? I hope so.
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I do sort of agree that £200,000 could have been better spent, however if the money is to be invested in attracting tourists who will in turn spend money, then it is possible that this sculpture will help bring people in and therefore pay for itself. Possible.
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I would guess that this work was commissioned before we knew we were going to nosedive into recession, therefore the money would have been as good as spent already.
It’s wise to look at the bigger picture. This work is for the long term and will last far longer than the current (hopefully) short-term crisis.
Finally, remember that most of the money spent will end up in the wage packets of the large number of people who are involved in the work in various ways. If that isn’t good for the economy then I don’t know what is.
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The same amount was wasted by our previous Chief Executive trying to fight the unitary council.
As far as I know this money has not come from council coffers, that has mostly gone on the wasted opporunity behind called theatre severn.
If the theatre had been built at the Gay Meadow site we would have had an architecturally inspiring building because the site did not have the massive constraints that the Welsh Bridge site had. It would have cost less as nowhere near as money would need to have been spent on the groundworks. It would have included ground floor parking, easy access from Old Potts Way, an asset to Wakeman School, adjacent to Abbey Gardens for open air events and been visable from places like the Parade. It could have had a sedum roof and energy saving features not acceptable on the present site for example.
The access from the station is better and views over the river would have been lovely.
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Eva Land, your case for the theatre is odd to say the least. Almost all the benefits you give for the Gay Meadow site already exist at the Welsh Bridge site, or are irrelevant. Sounds more like a personal preference than a well thought out objection. Access to the station is better at English Bridge than Welsh Bridge!? Do you even know Shrewsbury?
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Obviously better than you or perhaps you never used the presently closed footpath from the Gay Meadow site taking you right on to the platform at the station? When the Gay Meadow site was a serious and popular choice for the theatre this footpath was set to be reopened as railtrack closed it against many rail users wishes about 10 yrs ago.
The island at Frankwell has been a traffic bottleneck for years (not in the 1970′s when I lived there however)
The original architects for the present theatre, Levitt Bernstein left the project in the end as the constraints were so restrictive and that is why we have the grotty design we have today.
We could have had a theatre where you don’t have to be plastic man or a giraffe to see the stage in many of the seats.
A theatre with balconies so narrow you have to get intimate with every person you squash past.
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