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February 12, 2005
Gates of New York
The New York press, and Nightline, has been all a twitter lately over "The Gate", Christo's latest art project. I really wish I had the chance to see it in person.
Every story I've seen or read on the project includes the requisite hater, someone from the Sierra Club or just some random crank who declares that The Gates are "ugly" or "an inappropriate use of public space." It's a shame these people have lost their sense of wonder. Whether you like the particular aesthetic of the project or not, it seems to me a good thing regardless. It doesn't have to mean anything, it's just pretty.
And if you really don't like it, it'll be gone forever in two weeks, so get over it.
I like it.
P.S. -- Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Sometimes I need a little break from the politics. But here's a little recap of recent events:
Bush's Budget: Ridiculous. This guy calls himself a conservative? Please. Not to mention that they're not counting the money for our various wars or for his Social Security scuttling plan, but are counting revenue from drilling in ANWR, which hasn't been approved by the Congress, and has in fact been rejected several times. In short, a pack of lies. Big surprise.
North Korea: They come right out and say that they have nukes, and they're actually in range of American soil, but we're playing this one cool. Iran, on the other hand, we're going after full bore because some of their political dissidents have reported a weapons program. Gee, that sounds familiar.
Latah.
Posted by ahecht at February 12, 2005 7:41 PM
Previous Comments
OK, I don't mean to be a party-pooper, or out myself as being creativity-deficient, but - I don't get it. I mean, I'm all for big, public art, let's definitely make Central Park into something different and weird for a few weeks. But beautiful? I don't see it. Is it supposed to say or mean anything? (Not that it needs to in order to be worthwhile, I'm just wondering if I'm missing something.) Is there some level of interactivity that I'm missing?
Sorry to be a pill...
Posted by:
Alec at February 12, 2005 10:43 PM
Posted by: Anonymous at February 13, 2005 4:04 PM
Yawn.
No apologies necessary.
Central Park was a pretty nice "space" prior to the addition of this nonsense - Olmsted knew what the fuck he was doing.
Don't need this nonthreatening johnny-come-lately "art" grafted onto Olmsted's work to somehow make me "appreciate" or more fully examine my surroundings.
Won't let the people assemble & protest in the park but this shit sails through unopposed?
If you want to get people's attention, then how about diverting a day's worth of the currently nonrecyclable metal and plastic that should be recyclable away from the landfills in New Jersey & Pennsylvania and instead dumping it in Central Park.
Maybe that would more clearly make the point.
Posted by:
sleavecoat at February 13, 2005 5:06 PM
Yeesh.. gonna have to disagree here. Of course, I haven't seen this thing in person, but I'm still all for it in principle.
Alec, I have no idea what the point or the message is, but I just like stuff like this. It's big, it's public, and it's orange. It's not to be argued, of course.. you just either like it or you don't.
But as for whether it should be done, I say why the hell not? I agree, sleave, that Olmstead knew what he was doing and did an outstanding job, but this isn't a permanent imposition on his work, and won't detract from it in any but the most fleeting way, if you think it detracts at all.
Of course spaces like Central Park should be protected, and it is, quite well. But all the gnashing of teeth over a two week installation strikes me as a bit stick-mud-stuck.
Posted by:
Anthony at February 13, 2005 6:01 PM
Well then - being completely non-commital, I agree with everyone. I'm all for doing it as something weird and different, but I completely call bullsh*t (can you swear on slapnose?) on the proclamations of "Beautiful!" and "Awesome!". I don't think it's either. Different? Sure. A welcomed change from the norm? Absolutely. An unobtrusive, temporary distraction from something that wasn't broke to begin with? Sure.
Posted by:
Alec at February 14, 2005 11:10 AM
Right, but of course whether it's beautiful or awesome is just as aesthetic opinion, neither right nor wrong. The debate over whether it should have been done, etc etc, is different. When's the last time everyone agreed on what was beautiful?
Oh, and swear away.. you don't even have to use the *s. I do most of the swearing around here..
Posted by:
Anthony at February 14, 2005 11:38 AM
