Here continuing from Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping (Part 1): 2 posts down.
Plop-art - the term not an invention of mine though I wish it were - described by Wikipedia: Plop-art is a pejorative slang term for public art... made for parks and other venues. The term connotes that the work is unattractive or inappropriate to the surroundings - that is, it has been thoughtlessly "plopped" where it lies.
Several currents or movements in contemporary art, such as environmental sculpture, site-specific art and land art counterpose themselves to "plop-art"...
There's more - but this is the gist, I don't want to overwhelm. I also don't want to get into art vs. artsy (though tempted): plopping is of the essence. So I'll go with art. For now.
All images are of Andy Goldsworthy's art: just ideas how Nelson possibly could simply and cleanly connect with its own setting - instead of aspiring to be Never-Neverland-Downtown.
The Art Squad
Compulsive-obsessive really: Nelson has been densely, most thoughtlessly and highly inappropriately plopping - that's as far as public art here goes, may ever go - and official ploppers: the Cultural Development Committee (CDC), with money to burn and a professional designer in its motley crew at least he should know better - are itching to next get their hands (or gently used sculptures) on the proposed Hall St. redo and the Co-op's Villa Kelowna parking-lot.
The Co-op will love being plopped on all over the more the better: to put a bit of a cultural sheen on this project - after having unceremoniously morphed from regional cultural Mecca into unassisted-condo-living functional. Close one! Redemption does await!
Plop!
The Plop-Art Walk
From Baker into Railtown - starting at Hall. With the Baker "amenities" the most egregious examples of local plop-art: disregarding purpose, context and spatial relationships. No vision. Instead posing with self-glorifying statements anyplace.
There are 5 sculptures altogether in a suffocatingly small area - 4 on Baker and 1 on Ward. Giving the CDC some credit: the one on Ward sort-of works - next to Touchstones there is context; placed in a corner it could work spatially - if it weren't hemmed-in by a distractingly loud-clunky bench on a serious slant. The 4 on Baker are total placement disasters.
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!
There's a bit of wall, a tree, a waste-bin - very large in relation to the size of the space - plus a basic bench. And a faux bronze sculpture of 2 people sitting side-by-side on/forming a fantasy-bench. The idea not originated here - this smaller bench-sculpture is awkwardly placed next to the real bench: possible magic choked-off by forced comparison.
Plopped!
Solution:
While it can only work if placed by itself - say under a tree as a matter-of-fact - and no tactile human reality anywhere near.
The Baker/Ward-East Amenity
A tiny-dingy deadzone - really just a dent on the grey sidewalk: delineated by a bit of grey wall; a small, empty triangular grey flower-bed. Containing a grey-black waste-bin too large for the space; 2 black/white No Smoking signs; a grey bench in need of a lively paint-job - and a sculpture straining against HERE being screwed to a temporary base screwed to the ground.
Plopped!
Solution:
Remove this sculpture - it needs more space, a more conscious space of its own!
The Baker/Ward-West Amenities
Both amenities are long and narrow: simplistically placing a sculpture in the center not only cuts the space in half - making it useless for any previously announced-as-being-planned activities - sculptures clearly are not an integral part of the space: they look/feel temporary. The woman-cello shape of one of them has been done before and before. Both sculptures screwed down for easy removal on clunky one-size-fits-all concrete bases. Adding to awkwardness in placement: restaurants using much of the amenities' space during warm season - then having sculptures very much in-your-face warts-and-all - no contemplating here! And indeed - being on Baker almost daily - I have never seen anyone stop and do that - contemplate them.
And they are temporary: to be swapped for new ones every so often - all actually re-runs from the Castlegar Sculpture Walk. The rationale here that almost fresh batches guaranteed on loan are ever so convenient, an ever such lovely change and cheaper-by-the-dozen - instead of having to be bought individually. What a deal!
Plop-Plopped!
Solution:
Place 1 sculpture on the raised space under 1 of the trees - those at either end of amenities - facing half-amenity/half-sidewalk. Only 1 - not under both trees just because there are 2! This would give sculptures more of an appropriate and interesting space - their own - particularly with the base sunk into the ground; it would allow for easier viewing of sculptures with different proportions. And it would free the amenity-spaces for possibilities - some breathing-room if nothing else.
The Ikea Shower-Curtains
To curtain-off the gas-station lot at Baker/Fall. Although nothing offensive here: a potentially interesting terraced space - part earth/part concrete; some weeds/some wildflowers what's the difference; fauna and colors quite within Nelson's palette; clean - no garbage. BUT!
The CDC decides to block-off this visually-offensive-to-its-artistic-sensitivities urban blight. It commissions an artiste to design the what we have now forced on our senses silliness of endless Ikea shower-curtains along 2 sides. Inappropriate and how long can they-as-are possibly last!
The lot previously unobtrusive - now blaring at one! Drawing attention to what's behind: clearly still visible through the curtains, the uncurtained left side and back of the lot so what's the point! The gate on Fall now is usually open wide: the usual 3 cars parked inside - now one can actually walk in!
Plopped!
Solution 1:
No parking - keep gate closed! Put basic flower-boxes along the inside of the fence all around and seed morning-glories. After a modicum of initial attention - like watering - robust and totally self-sufficient, colorful, quick climbers - in no time covering the cyclone-fence profusely and self-seeding year after year. Art alive!
Solution 2:
No parking - keep gate closed! Construct a large piece of environmental sculpture, site-specific/land art - an installation - in the center of the lot. And let it live and die on its own!
Solution 3:
No parking - keep gate closed! Basic rule: If you can't disappear it - emphasize it! So dump a few truck-loads of earth, spread it around haphazardly and just as haphazardly strew wildflowerish Johnny Appleseeds! A field of flowers downtown! Living art!
There might be a combination of any 2 or all the above. All 3 solutions guaranteeing immeasurably high return - while low-cost/maintenance.
These vertical banners initially were to welcome visitors to Nelson. Suspended from lamp-posts at all 4 corners of the Baker/Highway intersection - visible from all 4 directions. What's simple enough - make them easily visible from 4 directions; make their contents easily identifiable - has been completely lost in CDC-procedural. And thoughtlessness.
What with 4-way stop-signs - thus all drivers' attention having to be on who moves next - the banners are way too small for the too difficult to make out quickly content - except for the ones saying Nelson. Busy-tiny design and lack of color-contrast.
And their placement is bizarre.
Plopped!
Solution:
For all to be visible from all 4 directions they reasonably must face drivers straight-on - on both sides in the driving-direction: 2 double-sided banners attached to 1 lamp-post in a right angle to each other. Simple! But here they aren't: in 2s attached obliquely and side-by-side - they essentially aren't there there for/from any direction! No welcome to Nelson!
The Inside-Out Bridge
Once having made it past the intersection, one may cross the Baker/Cottonwood-Falls Bridge. The design of its hand-rails could be fun: waves of industrial metal-wheels attached to industrial metal-mesh. The problem here: these waves are not facing inward: the bridge - but outward: the creek. So they are only indistinctly visible through the mesh. The reason given after the fact: there's a rule-bylaw-whatever which forbids these wheel-waves facing inward. True or not - the obvious question presenting itself: CDC - Hello?!?
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!
Once across the same intersection on its left side and before the bridge: a path off to the left - along Cottonwood Creek - with a prodigious amount of plop-plop-plopping in short order.
The bench: 2 massive wooden beams with splintery cracks - held together with industrial-strength-but-obviously-not metal-bands. The back: some uncomfortable-to-lean-against metal-work depicting jumping fish. Seat and back thoughtlessly out of sync.
The bench is placed on a sliver of open ground between path and creek. The view is of some foliage and thank heaven for that; a bit of creek down below; lots of car/truck-traffic on the other side; A3 Plumbers, Nelson Farmers' Supply, Benjamin Moore and - A & W! And much more of that once all foliage is gone!
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!
The No-Fish-Today! Billboard
A couple of meters from the bench - way too close: by intention an informative plaque - in execution an overboard billboard. About no salmon in the creek and what if - framed in heavy-duty giant more-jumping-fish metal-work. On 2 stubby metal-posts screwed to a concrete base - nothing graceful in any of it. Form-Over-Content 101.
Fish are jumpin' - elsewhere!
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!
The QR
Another few meters down the path: a large sculpture, consisting of 2 vertical rusty about a meter in diameter metal-pipe pieces one on top of the other a square cut-out here a square cut-out there the whole thing topped with an irregular Roman tonsure of same-metal bits.
By its maker mysteriously called QR - the only mystery in this - actually bought by the CDC for 6000 I believe it was smackers. QR - WTF!
Plopped!
Solution:
Some swooshy day-glow tagging to give it life!
This got to be rather longer than I expected but there you have it: a list of the CDC's sometimes not so much thoughtless but mindless as in not mindful accomplishments - all inappropriate - over about a year. To what end: there is no - can't be - economic benefit without a clear vision then game-plan. The CDC obviously has neither. It does have ample tax-payered funding though.
An exploration of the CDC-as-is - shorter than this Part 2 and Part 1 - coming-up in Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping (Part 3).
Plop!
Enough already...
Plop!
... of with from the CDC!
Plop! Plop! Plop!
All images of Andy Goldsworthy's work
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