Texas is a banana! I never knew that......
When asked why he would want a helium-inflated 300-metre
banana to hover above Texas for a month, he simply told CTV Montreal: "Texas is as symbolic as the banana."Cuckoo!!
Montreal artist wants to construct an enormous banana that would float over Texas, but critics say the project isn't worth government funding.
Cesar Saez conceived the project, called "Geostationary Banana Over Texas," and prefers to let the art speak for itself.
When asked why he would want a helium-inflated 300-metre banana to hover above Texas for a month, he simply told CTV Montreal: "Texas is as symbolic as the banana."
Then he added: "The banana has a lot of symbolism: phallic, humour, and political, too."
But some people were less than amused by the idea, considering both the federal and Quebec governments have already spent thousands of dollars for Saez's research and planning. "I'm paying $65,000 to send a banana to space?" one woman balked. Another said the money should have been spent on solving Montreal's homelessness problem instead.
The Canada Council for the Arts has defended the project, arguing Saez is an established artist and his proposal was chosen by a jury of his peers.
"The project was eligible and went to a committee, and the committee felt that the project had merit according to the criteria of the programme," said the council's Claude Schryer.
Beatrice Pepper, of the Quebec Council for Arts and Letters, said the attention focused on "Geostationary Banana Over Texas" can only benefit Quebec culture, because most contemporary artists are ignored.
"It's a big, big, big day today for visual arts in Quebec," she said.
"For probably one of the first times, a piece of visual art is getting the attention that it never gets from the media." The project will likely require a total of $1 million before Texans see the giant banana sailing above their heads.
13 Comments:
"Artists" are getting ridiculous. But they are smooth operators - getting government funding for something that makes no artistic sense whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned, if you have to explain it, it's not art.
I'm shocked that Texas would allow it as it seems like an insult to me but I'm not sure why - maybe the symbolism - bananas= monkeys= Texans? And I'm sorry but don't you think someone will shoot that sucker down? I know I'd want to.
Stupid monkeys.
*rolls eyes*
I think the banana would have a better home shoved up his ass. Maybe the entire Quebec council of arts could all get matching bananas and shove them in the same place?
That would give them some visual art
Can't even fathom that money could possibly be allocated to a banana intead of education, or feeding schoolchildren healthy meals...
You have got to be kidding me. Every gun-toting citizen should threaten (and carry out) to shoot & kill these idiots.
loving annie - these are the same people who scream for more money for education and government entitlement programs. Makes one wonder....
This would be great if only the money came from private donations. Heck, I'd toss out twenty bucks to see a banana floating over Texas...
Maybe over a particular ranch in Texas...
Heck, over a football stadium too..
Heck, I'd toss out forty bucks!
(We Californian types just love the visual arty stuff...)
But public funding is absurd for this, and that "council" should be severely counciled...
Sounds like this artist is the spiritual brother to that Cristo dude that does really big "environmental" art. Like putting pink curtain looking thingys around some islands off of Florida and nonsense like that.
At least it's Canadian tax dollars.
Have you told the Japing Ape - Mr Gorilla Bananas about this?? He will have fit!!
We once put an inflated huge blood cell on the ground in London, it cost 200 million, we call it the Dome.
for God's sake, please tell me this is an early April Fool's joke!!!!!!
And modern artists typically wonder why no one likes or respects their work..
Jeannie: I'm sure the texas Air guard will shoot it down no problem.
BBC: Damn straight
Ryan, that would be like maplethorpe but make so much more sense.
annie: people throw away money like they don't like it, especially if it's someone elses.
Barista as long as they don't go for a head shot..no vitals there
Scott: Private donations would be fine. As long as they put the banana in a geosyncronus orbit over my house in July. I'll be a
happy camper.
JAM: these folks have no real artistic imagination, its more like stoned marketing.
Mutley, what about that giant ferris wheel? That looked like it bled from the pockets of the taxpayers quite profusely.
Anon: I'm hoping too
Brandon: As long as they are on the government tit they don't care.
"The Canada Council for the Arts"
hmmmm, why am I not the least bit surprised.
"A Quebec artist"
ummm yeah, would expect that.
All I can say is "Hmph!"
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