A waste of time? Council admits it doesn’t know where to put public art – which cost £440k (From Echo)
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A waste of time? Council admits it doesn’t know where to put public art – which cost £440k
8:00am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in Southend By Stephen Hackwell
Southend’s Millennium Clock, which is now in storage
COUNCIL chiefs have admitted they have no idea what to do with two pieces of public art which cost £440,000.
Southend Council still has no plans to re-use the Millennium Clock or the Life Lines sculpture, more than a year after the troubled artworks were removed from the town centre.
At the time, bosses said they hoped to re-install both pieces in other locations around Southend.
But they have conceded they are yet to find a suitable spot.
Nigel Holdcroft, the Tory council leader, said: “Discussions have been had with the artist regarding the re-commissioning of Life Lines.
“Consideration is being given to finding a suitable site which would provide adequate security, prominence and appropriate context for the artwork, but, to date, a new location has not been found.
“With regard to the Millennium Clock, the matter is still under consideration, but there are no immediate plans to relocate it, as a suitably appropriate site has yet to be identified.”
Life Lines, which was designed by award-winning artist Vong Phaophanit, was bought by the council in 2006 as part of the £6million Pier Hill redevelopment.
The £390,000 sculpture was bankrolled by the Arts Council.
Its internal tubing was supposed to constantly change colour as an in-built computer responded to the environment around it.
But onlookers complained the plastic casing was constantly fogged up and the lights did not work.
The £50,000 Millennium Clock was installed in the High Street in 2000, but rainy weather caused frequent breakdowns.
Both pieces were removed by the council in February last year and placed into storage, at an estimated cost of £35,000.
Roger Fisher, owner of Doodahs burger bar in Marine Parade, said he had not been sorry to see the Life Lines sculpture removed.
He added: “It was in the wrong place and, though it worked intermittently at the outset, beyond that, it wasn’t a success.
“It’s a bit of a waste of money.”
Comments(28)
Blind Haze
says...
9:32am Wed 22 Feb 12
Either way, it won't be missed - sell it, scrap it, do whatever you need to just don't continue paying for it to be kept in storage.
SARFENDMAN
says...
9:40am Wed 22 Feb 12
The Cater Wood Creeper
says...
9:41am Wed 22 Feb 12
Blind Haze wrote:bgve it to Basildon Council to look after then you'll probably never (see) have to worry about it again.....
Perhaps my memory's fading, but I thought that this clock wasn't put up until 2001. Either way, it won't be missed - sell it, scrap it, do whatever you need to just don't continue paying for it to be kept in storage.
The Cater Wood Creeper
says...
9:45am Wed 22 Feb 12
timmus
says...
10:13am Wed 22 Feb 12
Blind Haze
says...
10:15am Wed 22 Feb 12
Hasn't really worked for the last 11 years? A pretty fair reflection on some of the residents really.
Discouraged
says...
10:25am Wed 22 Feb 12
The Yellow Peril
says...
10:28am Wed 22 Feb 12
Southend Timeline
says...
10:36am Wed 22 Feb 12
The clock could be in the foyer, and lifelines in the Beecroft Gallery moden art room.
saddo99
says...
11:51am Wed 22 Feb 12
As for the clock I suppose this means SBC has time on their hands!
Red Hand Gang
says...
11:52am Wed 22 Feb 12
APR
says...
12:18pm Wed 22 Feb 12
money, and not having to account for it.
Ian P
says...
12:27pm Wed 22 Feb 12
jayman
says...
12:50pm Wed 22 Feb 12
jayman
says...
12:53pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Perfect Logic
says...
1:01pm Wed 22 Feb 12
The Cater Wood Creeper wrote:The logical thing to do is type your post in word first (which will highlight any errors) then cut and paste into the comments box simples !
'give' not 'bgve', sorry. Obviously the apparent 'upgrading' of the site to make it easier for the hard of hearing to read or whatever it's made the fonts huge for (it's more than likely for the wallys who walk about not looking where they're going due to having eyes fixed on their smartphones. Ed.) hasn't improved the loading time or anything else that seems to dog any attempt to type coherently without having to go through your typed text with a fine toothed comb every time you make a comment....
Perfect Logic
says...
1:11pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Nebs
says...
1:31pm Wed 22 Feb 12
j-w
says...
1:46pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Perfect Logic wrote:like ^ ;-)
The logical solution is to store it in Councillor Longley’s garden then maybe he wont waste our money again or perhaps a late leaving present for the other master of wasting our money Anna Waite ?
Max Impact
says...
2:30pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Lifelines was not paid for by the council but the Government in the shape of the Arts Council.
Off topic: Is it just me or have they increased the aize of the text on postings?
Max Impact
says...
2:31pm Wed 22 Feb 12
boytrev
says...
3:52pm Wed 22 Feb 12
For instance we could add a lump of concrete from Pier Hill that is constantly being dug up.
A length of burnt plastic pipe originally installed to carry water to the fire hoses on the end of Southend Pier.
A piece of roofing from the neglected & now demolished historically important York Road Market.
A tree from the seafront cut down just before the landslide & some painted wood from the elegant Public Shelters that once graced our seafront.
We could arrange them artistically in a heap with scattered syringes, beer cans & bags of refuse in a public place, along with maybe a few of those concrete balls from the Shared Space's. Then unveil & rename it 'The Pride of Southend'.
boytrev
says...
4:03pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Ian P wrote:We could put the clock in the new train station shelter @ the far end of the Pier.
If the then children who designed the clock are still in the area and reading this site I expect they may find some of the comments being made very hurtful. It is not their fault that whoever transformed their winning design into a working clock failed to make it waterproof, even knowing that it was planned for it to spend its life in the open. Why not restore it and make it a feature inside the new library?
Oop's I forgot!
"the shelter leaks"
notinwestcliffanymore
says...
6:11pm Wed 22 Feb 12
southendshrimper
says...
8:06pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Bosniavet
says...
10:08pm Wed 22 Feb 12
Ivanna Goodhump
says...
7:54am Thu 23 Feb 12
Bosniavet wrote:What, put the Millemium Clock in the Civic Centre, a place thats also full of very expensive non working, publicly funded wastes of space - Council staff ?
If "Lifelines" is owned by SBC, let's get it sold & use the money to pay for council services. The Millenium Clock needs to be set up inside somewhere, why not the Civic Centre?
Sir Peter Pantsless the 3rd says...
9:20am Wed 22 Feb 12
.
Seriously though, I can think of the perfect location for two flawed designs that never worked properly from the outset.....
Victoria Gateway is the ideal location being a flawed design itself, that way we can have it all bundled together so visitors and residents can see what our failure of a council spends its money on whilst they sit stuck in traffic!
Perfect or what?
(No need to thank me Nigel)