At the risk of irritating the anglers again, it seems like Bob, the copper carp dangling from the Walsall Wood angler’s pole has gone missing again. I’m pretty sure the fish was there earlier in the week – I’ve been expecting it to be poached ever since it was re-hooked, so always make a note when passing. Tonight, the Express & Star reported the on the latest incident of piscean pilfering.
From the Walsall Express & Star, Friday, 14th January 2011. Click for a larger version.
Yet again, the paper curiously assert that the loss is unlikely to be vandalism. I’d tenure that it’s probably metal theft – I’ll take a look at the weekend but the linkage seems to have been cut from the picture in the report – if one looks at the image of it when installed in this post, none of the lower shackle assembly is present, although the loop in the steel hawser seems thoroughly crimped.
On a side note, not twelve months after installation, the artworks all now look like rusted scrap. I realise that it’s intentional, but the group on the corner of Brookland Road now look particularly tatty. Was this really the best use possible for forty grand? I remain as mystified by this particular waste of public cash as I was at the time.
Thank god we’re not living under a Conservative authority that turned out to be desperately short of cash. Er…
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The fish was there earlier in the week, you’re correct, as you are about the sculptures: the rust is doubtless intentional, but they just look tatty.
Keep up, old chap!
Don’t you know it’s ‘proven fact’ that public art regenerates our town and generates jobs?
That’s how and why we got Jigger/Morris in Brownhills, the Face of Bo fountain thing in Walsall town centre and that surreal tree in Darlaston, among others.
The argument goes like this: public art generates pride in place, pride in place generates inward investment (not sure how) which equals jobs.
Just look at what the Angel of the North did for, well, the North, for example.
Far better to spend £30-40 thousand on a bit of art than spend it on, say, supporting a start-up business.
To be fair, I support investment in most public art, as an adjunct to successful regeneration, but Walsall do it arse about face. The Angel of the North – which is stunning and a work of engineering itself – has genuinely encouraged tourism and brought positive publicity to the area.
The problem arises when, bankrupt of ideas, we do the sculpture *first* and expect that to be regeneration – viz. Brownhills Miner, Darlo Tree etc. It’s become a ridiculous mark by which politicians emboss their tenure rather than the garnish to well-rejuvenated areas.
Also, much of the stuff locally is tired and cliched. How many mining memorials do we actually need?
Cheers
Bob
Hi Bob
Just seen this story word for word on the front of the Walsall Chronicle tonight. I laughed out loud when I saw the adjacent column carrying a story about £5000 worth of missing drain covers from “Streets in the Walsall area.” The Chronicle are happy to put this large scale disappearance of drain covers down to theft, whilst the missing fish still remains unlikely to be an act of vandalism.
hey hum….
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