Work on sculpture problems
Wednesday 12th August 2009, 11:27AM BST.
Further work is to be carried out to correct Shrewsbury’s £350,000 Darwin sculpture after it was hit by technical problems meaning it is out of alignment.
The 12-metre high Quantum Leap, which is being built in Mardol Gardens, is reportedly as much as 18 inches off course at the top of the structure.
A meeting took place yesterday between members of the project board when it was decided that work would have to be carried out to resolve the issues.
Shropshire Council today said the cost of the alterations was still expected to be met within the £350,000 budget for the scheme, which is due to be unveiled on October 8 at 4pm.
George Candler, assistant director of culture and leisure at Shropshire Council, said: “Further work on the Quantum Leap structure will be undertaken by the contractors to deal with the misalignment at the top of the 12-metre high arch.
“An adjustment is necessary to achieve the fluidity of rotation so that the curve will achieve the continuous and uniform flow of the design.”
The sculpture is still set to be completed next month.
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So will we ever be told the absolute final cost? Eventually..mind you pigs will have evolved wings by then.
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I work across the road from this so called Quantum Leap and believe me it is certainly no Sculpture, It is the most ugliest thing i have seen and what a waste of taxpayers money. We should be supporting our local hospitals and charities not a load of concrete that will do nothing to help us.
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I for one cant wait until the river rises and the frankwell flood defenses force all the water toward our lovely new spring.
What will be trapped first in it ?
How long until the force of the Seven wreak some devistation upon it ?
What a ridiculous waste of resources, much like the Stargate at mardol head!!
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What saddens me is the loss of the lovely garden with lovely plants and trees that was frequented by many people especially at lunchtime for a piece of concrete to celebrate Darwin. I’m sure Charles himself would have preferred the plant life, insects etc and I am sure he would have gainded great satisfaction from watching nature at its best not gawping at a concrete spring.
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For god sake when will the Star get this story right. The structure is 5 degrees out of rotation at the top which will simply be solved by rotating three of the blades. The arch aliens within 5mm so were they get 18 inches from only they know. The photo they use is an old artist impression produced long before any final planning was issued so was bound to change . Conceptually Art is art not all like or are even interested in it but that is the point it should not please every one because if it did it would be so dull it should not be built. The structure is of such complexity being reliant to a very tight tolerance in four dimensions hence the building of this type of structure has never been tried any were before so yes there is a learning curve involved but again this is all part of the process. It was expected to be difficult to build this expectation has not disappointed it has been harder than any one has expected but when finished then it should be judged and not before. Most of the cost is picked up by external funders so sorry if the facts spoil a good headline and story for the Star but as I am quoted as saying already this is a mountain out of a mole hill made worse by hysterical comments by those who do not know what is going on. As for loosing the park the whole area will be opened up and the only thing we will get rid of are the drunks and druggies who used this place as their preferred location. Sorry must go now and yet again bang by head on the table because of frustration with the Star running down everything they can because there is no real news in the area.
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“The arch aliens .. ”
Does everything have to turn into a UFO story eventually ?
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Charles Armstrong: most of what you said makes much sense and gives a balanced view to the whole saga. But four dimensions? Is this thing a portal to another world or what? If we stand in the middle of it and look outwards will we see the back of our own heads or something?
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Sorry Charles, but you and the Shrewsbury Public Art Partnership that gave the go ahead for this ‘structure’ are unconvincing to the great majority with your attempted explanation on how it can be put right and why Shrewsbury should be saddled with this folly – for that is what it is – a Darwin Folly ,the same as the folly at the top of Mardol, another Darwin Folly. Shrewsbury is in Darwin overkill.You say the photo used is an old artists impression which shows the sculpture to be white, so why is it on the hoardings surrounding the site. Why not show it as it will be- a dirty brown concrete colour – the one obviously preferred by the planning committee. Who will want to sit under or by that on a summers day? Please do not kid yourself that drunks and druggies will vacate the area. They won’t because they will have extra seats( the ribs) to sit and climb on! Do you really want to be associated with a project that has incurred the wrath of so many Shropshire people including the SPAP chairman Graham Gallier? Charles,it is a folly indeed! The name Quantum Leap itself refers more to physics than to scientific evolution.
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I think we should be more worried about Charles Armstrong’s Arch Aliens!
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I quote
“The structure is of such complexity being reliant to a very tight tolerance in four dimensions hence the building of this type of structure has never been tried any were before so yes there is a learning curve involved but again this is all part of the process.”
Really, no man has ever built an arch from stone before! So how do you explain all those bridges, windows, doorways, etc all built without the use of computer aided designers. Thing is they all seem to meet in the middle.
Still cant see what relevance this “thing” has too anything
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Charles it’s still a waste of money, where ever the money came from. Most of Shrewsbury would have preferred something more practical, like a new swimming baths.
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I don’t know what Graham Galliers is bleating about. He chose the thing at the end of the Mardol. (I love modern sculpture and that Mardol gate is not sculpture just bling IMO) It doubled in cost and then having run out of money we just had lumps of sandstone plonked around it to sit on and a Fred Flintstone like block to cover up a BT box or something.
It is a a difficult thing to get right but when it works contemporary sculpture is brilliant. Look at the Iron Man in Birmingham, fantastic.
Couldn’t we have had something from Andy Goldsworthy or Anthony Gormley?
I hope the problem can be resolved because that part of town is already ruined by the backs of the hideous shopping centres, then the dreadful warehouse pastiche Guildhall,the blot on the landscape theatre, the proposed prison like hotel and proposed more pastiche apartments on the old bus station site. We really needs a sculpture that doesn’t work or look right like a proverbial hole in the head!
The rendering at the bottom to try and stop anyone climbing on it looks gross so I’m not too hopeful.
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For £350K I don’t think you’d get much more than a couple of old tar tanks sunk into the ground to paddle in, but there we go.
As for public Art, well when it’s good it can be strong, resonant and evocative. But that’s pretty damn rare. There’s too much of it around and most of it’s dire. I’m prepared to see this complete and in landscaped situ before I pass judgement. Having known Shrewsbury for nearly 50 yrs, I don’t suppose this can make any more of a pigs ear of it than they’ve managed to in that time.
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It sure looks like a wood louse.
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I have a very simple ‘elephant in the room’ question.
Why doesn’t the construction going up actually resemble the Photoshopped ‘artwork’ that has been proposed? This has been sold to the Town on the strength of the image as presented. I suggest we have been duped and there is a case for the legal profession to take an interest here.
Mr. Armstrong?
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Am I the only one? Hasn’t anyone else noticed?!! Heads out of the sand folks! What happened to the good old trades description act and why isn’t anyone on the phone to BBC’s Watchdog programme following a chat with the Weights and Measures people. Extraordinary!!!
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merc: Its the same reason that photoshopped models don’t look quite as good in real life! I think that most people realise this.
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typical of commie councils to built concrete monoliths, like that statue of marx by the library we will pull it down and spank it with sandals when cameron takes over
bring on the conservative revolution, axing public projects like this and cutting your taxes
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I appreciate art by its nature should cause some degree of emotion, and the fact that we are commenting on the thing suggests that in someway it is art. However, to my mind it is still a useless, unstimulating, uninviting lump of concrete that speak little of Darwin and much about the egos of those involved. To say “The structure is of such complexity being reliant to a very tight tolerance in four dimensions hence the building of this type of structure has never been tried any were” simply amuses me. Was there a smirk on you face when that was written?
Conceptual art, whilst often stretching peoples viewpoints should be open to criticism and be strong enough to withstand.
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Ironic we are planning to celebrate the launch of Quantum leap when the Quantum programme is currently a major threat to hundreds of HMRC jobs in Telford
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Although I don’t like it. “Sorry must go now and yet again bang by head on the table because of frustration with the Star running down everything they can because there is no real news in the area.” – Charles Armstrong
I think I love you, shall we wed?
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I would be very interested to go to the conference in October at the Theatre called, A Quantum Leap: How Public Art and Culture Adds Value to Regeneration.
As the tickets are £35 per person this is out of the question so an opportunity to see how our money is spent in this area is denied to all who live on low incomes ie: the majority of inhabitants of Shropshire.
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I like it. It looks like a wood louse.
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