A General Rant or “Some Long Awaited Vitriol”

You know what? After a bit of thought and ponderance on our new big purple spermy in the Square, I've concluded that, on a couple of levels, I don't like it... I mean, sure it's funny and cheeky and accessible etc etc. but... aesthetically I just don't particularly like it. The fibreglass is shoddy and the figures squished by its purpleyness are beyond cartoon-esque - they're more like 3d stick men.

I don't know if this is just the artist’s personal aesthetic…

*and it’s geeky enough that I’m spending a Saturday night, where I could be out binge drinking with the rest of chch, writing my opinion on an international artists work so I’m not putting a hell of a lot of research in*

…and I do think that a really shiny clean finish would just make it look like a Durex ad... but surely, if it leaned just a little more towards that endearingly shoddy finish or the other way - I feel it may have worked out a bit better.

The fact that it arrived so late is a reflection on the over-all organization of Scape this year. Okay I'm sure I'm not gaining myself any friends by saying this but here goes: really, in an arts festival with multinational artists, should anyone get away with not having their work finished/set up/in the country for the deadline? There are people wandering the streets of chch, looking for art that it is SAID – written in pamphlets even - will be there and it's NOT. Way to get the public on side guys... all the secrecy worked more to alienate the public than get them into this biennial celebrating art in ‘public’ space... I’m sure that Tatzu Oozu’s work Endeavour will be fantastic, but why is it only nearing completion more than a fortnight after the official Scape opening? Wouldn't it have generated more interest in the biennial as a whole if the set up and construction of many of these artworks were to take place before the opening? I mean, why not get a couple of the construction people on side and have flyers on hand *Shock! Horror! Plebs talking about art?!*?

And another thing! The over reliance on volunteers – made up largely of art students nearing their end of year submission; therefore largely torn between their own work and the volunteer work doesn’t do much for the biennial either. Hey, fair enough, I’m a volunteer and a couple of invites to the opening with it’s free boozy goodness and amazing mini pies and dumplings (I will forever remember those delicious morsels) was more than enough of a show of appreciation for me. But I know of other students that have dedicated a large amount of time and effort to Scape and haven’t really received much back in the form of recognition. It’ll look good on their CV’s and all, but not so good if they also happen to fail or get lesser grades than expected due to the branching of their attention at such a crucial time of year…the word of the institution may be null and void, but wouldn’t you be pissed if you got a C instead of a B because you spent more time out helping successful artists than in the studio making your own work in the hopes of becoming one of them?

As much as I think that the biennial is a brilliant idea and really works to rejuvenate and animate our city (not to mention beings some great art directly to us), realistically, it could be done better. Our small-town-ness is showing through our lack of proper organization for an event that is meant to be on the world stage.

*the foam spewing from my mouth dies down and my horns begin to shrink back into my head, the panting subsides and my eyes return to their sockets*

Much love

Giddy Goat

[Thanks Giddy Goat, WATCH THIS SCAPE just got THIS much more controversial. Giddy Goat just emailed us. You can do likewise; if you have something to say and you want to say it here: watchthisscape@gmail.com. If the cats got yr hard-copy tongue, you can feel just as good about sending us pictures. Despite the fact we ARE SCAPE, we can't be everywhere. We look forward to hearing from you, pseudo, anon., or whatever yr on. XOX, W.T.S.]