L.A.'s Most Derided Piece of Public Art Is About to Light Up Again
atlasobscura.com
atlasobscura.com
I think they've inadvertently created an interesting new dimension to the artwork here. Software developers especially should be able to appreciate the feeling of being unable to properly reengineer a flawed system due to expense or expedience, and just slapping another layer on top instead. Sort of like a celebration of path dependence. I'd like to see more examples of long-form artworks that gradually evolve through different artists and eras.
Much of this is actually illegal in many counties. Re-working a sculpture is seen as trampeling on the artists rights, specifically "moral rights" which cannot be contracted away. The classic example case of this is Snow v. Eaton Center.
"In Snow, a 1982 case at the Ontario High Court of Justice, the defendant had purchased a sculpture of 60 geese that they placed inside their shopping centre. During their Christmas celebration the defendant tried to attach ribbons to the necks of the geese. The plaintiff alleged that the addition of the ribbons modified his work in a manner prejudicial to his honour or reputation."
Any private land owners is going to think twice about art on their property after 5-points in NYC and the artist that stuck a small girl to stand down the wall street bull which lawsuits.
http://gothamist.com/2018/09/26/5_pointz_judgment_appeal.php
http://gothamist.com/2017/04/12/fearless_girl_charging_bull....
https://hyperallergic.com/364474/the-sculpture-of-a-fearless...
> here is the truth about “Fearless Girl”: It features a branded plaque at its base. The companies that installed it had a permit. They are advertising firm McCann New York
The artist has the:
* right to prevent the use of one's name on any work the author did not create
* right to prevent use of one's name on any work that has been distorted, mutilated, or modified in a way that would be prejudicial to the author's honor or reputation
* right to prevent distortion, mutilation, or modification that would prejudice the author's honor or reputation
In this case, since they're keeping close to the original vision I doubt there's a VARA claim.
Today, most places that would commission a piece like this would make artists sign a VARA waiver.
Edit: also, I'm not a lawyer. I just play one on the internet.
This seems like quite an ambitious project for 1975!
(It took around 80 years to get a decently working implementation)
I'm a bit surprised by this. Most professional artists I know put a huge amount of effort into working with / experimenting with the medium they're working in get the results they want. I don't know any (i'm sure there are some) who do one off experiments, they're usually pretty experienced with the materials / medium they work with.
Outside of specific corporate/academic/military facilities they basically would have been unable to "experiment" at all.
It's pretty remarkable they came up with anything that functioned at all considering the barriers to entry of the time.
which would make the whole restoration thing completely pointless, and subject to even more mockery
Is the Hollywood sign really the target of that much mockery? Caricature surely but that's not the same thing.
In this particular case, for me the first things Hollywood sign evokes are "megalomania", "shitty blockbusters", "overinflated ego". I'm super biased (I don't even really know Hollywood history) and it doesn't necessarily make it the "most derided piece of art", but it wouldn't surprise me
Top contender usually goes to the light sculptures at the entrance to LAX, or else to the frescoes adorning the sidewalls of the 110 and 10 freeways.
The WORST imho are the sites that ask for notification permission, to which my initial reaction is FUCK YOU... there's no call for that without a user initiated action.
Not everyone is the same, and I appreciate your point of view as well.
Reading articles like this one gives you things to talk about, which makes you someone people are more keen to engage with. That will give you an edge in a lot of interactions but particularly in sales. If you can't sell then your startup will fail. That's why they're relevant.
You need to be able to talk to other people about what they are interested in. That requires broadening your interests. A few articles about things you wouldn't typically read can be very useful.