Public art and street renovations can both stir up the hornet's nest when monies are at stake. Cobblestones are back here at Boothby Square in the Old Port, thanks to a project in 2001 to replace them at a cost of a mere $600,000 to the city. Most people feel it's a nice touch and adds to the historical aura of this area. However, a public art project, that runs along the grassy medium to the left in this photo hasn't been met with the same warm, fuzzy feeling. The project, called "Tracing the Fore", runs along Fore Street, splitting it in half. The art installation includes pieces of stainless steal that are placed to resemble waves of the Fore River along the city's edge. At a cost of $135,000, this project, by artist Shauna Gillies- Smith, has, to be kind, been met with mixed reviews. Some loved it from the beginning, some say its grown on them, while others just say it's an eyesore and should be removed. I, myself, think it's an interesting concept, but still find it hard to imagine that some inebriated, lost soul, running after 1 AM some morning, hasn't tripped hurrying across Fore and been decapitated on the spot. Rolling your eyes? Hey, stranger things have happened down there in the Old Port after the bars close.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Boothby Square
Public art and street renovations can both stir up the hornet's nest when monies are at stake. Cobblestones are back here at Boothby Square in the Old Port, thanks to a project in 2001 to replace them at a cost of a mere $600,000 to the city. Most people feel it's a nice touch and adds to the historical aura of this area. However, a public art project, that runs along the grassy medium to the left in this photo hasn't been met with the same warm, fuzzy feeling. The project, called "Tracing the Fore", runs along Fore Street, splitting it in half. The art installation includes pieces of stainless steal that are placed to resemble waves of the Fore River along the city's edge. At a cost of $135,000, this project, by artist Shauna Gillies- Smith, has, to be kind, been met with mixed reviews. Some loved it from the beginning, some say its grown on them, while others just say it's an eyesore and should be removed. I, myself, think it's an interesting concept, but still find it hard to imagine that some inebriated, lost soul, running after 1 AM some morning, hasn't tripped hurrying across Fore and been decapitated on the spot. Rolling your eyes? Hey, stranger things have happened down there in the Old Port after the bars close.
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You bet things have happened down there in the Old Port after the bars close. Are you going to show us this art installation? We may be coming for the Sidewalk Art Festival next month. Maybe we can see it then for ourselves. Is it permanent? I love the cobblestones, even the sound of people walking, riding, driving over them.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't seem to matter which part of the world one lives in, replacing and repairing old cobblestone (or brick here) and art installations seem to get everyone upset. On all sides of the issue. (The tripping and breaking a leg or head in the middle of the night exiting a bar is the same, too. Florida is just a lot hotter and more humid after a few too many beers. And everything is centuries newer.) Love the street!!
ReplyDeleteLove the perspective from the cobblestones. Reminds me of a Charles Dickens novel!
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