Tuesday, August 09, 2011

This sporting life

News comes from the capital that the Rugby World Cup Special Edition Sculpture, commissioned by Wellington City Council from model-makers Weta Workshop, has now been unveiled in its temporary location.

This is it and these are the people responsible:


This sculpture is, I think you will agree, the most extraordinarily unpleasant three dimensional thing created in New Zealand since the last work of populist statuary to be inflicted on a neighbourhood with low-self-esteem, the Canterbury Heroes. I think you will also agree that this sort of thing is not seen much these days, at least outside the 'stans. Perhaps it is a retro thing.

The value placed on this thing by its owners is shown by the fact of it having a temporary home for the duration of the RWC (am I allowed to say RWC? Probably not. Oh well) and then an uncertain future. Besides, nobody in the photograph above looks overjoyed at the collective achievement. We can only hope that this monstrosity is made in a sustainable medium, so that it can be made into traffic cones or bouncy castles.

On the other hand, the sculptural group could be re-purposed to serve some other symbolic function. Perhaps it might later serve to commemorate the Lower Hutt Easter Egg Hunt of 1926 or to symbolise Man's Discovery of the Clitoris. On a third hand, it might be left in some obscure public park to remind future generations that every aesthetic effort made during the Rugby World Cup turned out to be utterly tacky. Truly, this was a game in which tawdry rubbish was the winner on the day.



7 comments:

Stephen Stratford said...

Oh. I thought this would be about the Godley & Creme song of that name. But no. Disappointment rules.

RobM said...

As for that smug union-busting dick Richard Taylor, I wish someone would one-ring his neck.

Deborah said...

I'm seeing far too much tacky resemblance of this: Iwo Jima picture.

Anonymous said...

Raft of the Medusa.

Samuel said...

It looks very, very slightly less hideous in its current location.

Aucklanders of course have Natalie Stamilla's Incredible Levitating Stacey Jones (onna plinth) to look forward to.

Lyndon said...

in its current location

It's tucked away behind Civic Square facing into a small park. A tourist might not find it even if they were trying.

Haven't seen it in daylight but in the dark it the impression I got (with help on the imagery) was that Godzilla had trouble digesting some rugby players.

Hans Versluys said...

London's Burning: https://www.createspace.com/3522404