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Stop the wailing!

CRYBABIES! Is complaining all that has been learnt in the last 100 years? And when have we had it so good! Martin Ollman 2

The latest example is the Centenary “Skywhale”. How come Canberrans don’t revel in joy at the innumerable, pendulous breasts and puny little eyes of the leviathan? Why is that they argue “a whale has no place in the skies over an inland city”?

Where is the appreciation? Where do I start? Perhaps with politics! Others have already commented on the art in terms of “Patricia Piccinini’s traditional themes of empathy between humans and animals, genetic modification and threatened extinction”.

Our Greens Minister, Shane Rattenbury, was surely part of the inspiration. It is not so long ago that he was out in the freezing Antarctic challenging huge rapacious Japanese whaling ships with their overpowering mechanical harpoons in a tiny outboard driven zodiac. The minister’s heroic feats no doubt not only saved many whales from those voracious Japanese ships, but provided a springboard to accelerate Shane’s political career. He has been elected and re-elected to the Assembly.

Are you blind, Canberrans? So many of you loved Shane saving the whales! Surely you have a reason to love one of these delightful goliaths floating in your skies.

But there is always politics within politics. Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is not silly. Being keen to keep Shane on side and knowing how much he loves those giants of the ocean what’s $300,000 to keep the one person with the balance of power on side? Cheap! Very cheap! And she can call it art.

Ah! The politics of art! Don Dunstan, SA Premier and Labor hero, built the Adelaide Festival Theatre in the early 1970s breathing life into the Adelaide Festival of Arts as well as achieving many other creative things. Former Chief Minister Jon Stanhope tried to emulate the South Australian with his public art everywhere.

Now is the opportunity for the current government to outdo its art-loving former leader. What about a huge whale that actually hangs over Canberra? So much more talked about than Jon’s efforts.

Who better to deliver the art project than former Adelaide Arts Festival Director, Robyn Archer?

“The balloon is a cheap piece of public art. Almost every piece of public art in Canberra costs more. Public art is often controversial, and people have differing and strong opinions about it. Debate is good – much better than indifference…”

When Canberrans are arguing over a piece of art they are paying no attention to what is going on in the Assembly or all of the other things about which they would normally whinge.

No letters to the editors about building developments, or rubbish, or potholes in the road, nor the health system, nor much else for that matter. Just the Skywhale!

You are 100 years old, Canberrans. Time to start appreciating art and what is going on around you.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

 

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore

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2 Responses to Stop the wailing!

Olfella says: 22 May 2013 at 9:35 pm

Complaining about building developments or potholes don’t seem to get anywhere either. Same as health system!

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Andrew P says: 25 May 2013 at 11:56 pm

Fully agree, Michael. The fierceness of complaint about the Skywhale has left me baffled. I love Piccinini’s work, and – after a second or two when initially confronted by the work – thought this piece was marvellous!

What were we wanting it to be? A “Big Bluebell” or “Big Gang Gang” stuck like a Big Prawn or Rambo on the Hume Highway as everybody drove into town?

And I’m so disappointed in Jon Stanhope (but that happened before this anyway) for busting into this. Go and piss on someone else’s parade, Jon!

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