I want this one!

[Patrick]

A sculpture of a giant silver child's hand bearing down upon a car will be placed in London's Mayfair.

The artwork by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, titled 'Vroom Vroom', has been given planning permission by Westminster Council.

The 15ft (4.6m)-high piece will go on display on the central reservation in Park Lane at its junction with Stanhope Gate in central London.

The work, featuring the artist's first car, evokes the child within, he said.

The council has yet to finalise when the artwork will go on show but it will be on display until April 2011.

The planning application said although the artwork will be placed "between busy traffic lanes" it was not expected to pose a danger to traffic.
'Child at heart'

The sculpture was on display at the Institute of Modern Art in Valencia during the summer and before that it featured at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair.

Previously Lorenzo Quinn has said: "We are all a child at heart, and it's important never to forget the child within you."

Paul Green, president of Halcyon Gallery which is supplying the artwork, said: "This is extremely important for Lorenzo Quinn. We are really looking forward to seeing the public's reaction."

Councillor Alastair Moss, chairman of the planning application sub committee, said: "I think that many people feel a fondness and love for their first car which stays with them for a lifetime, and I hope this artwork brings a similar feeling of excitement to the many people visiting the West End."

The installation is part of the council's two-year City of Sculpture Festival during which 60 pieces of art donated by galleries and artists will temporarily be on show in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

[everso]

Sometimes the out-of-the-ordinary sculptures can be fascinating. This was my favourite in a sculpture park in Washington: (I did video it but this isn't my video)




The thing was, lots of people were just walking past it without really looking at it. I took it upon myself to tell people to walk back and forth to get the best effect (much to Mr. E's embarrassment). It's an optical illusion and gives you the weirdest feeling as you walk past it. Watching the video is not quite the same, although it gives you an idea of what it's like.

[riotgrrl]

I do enjoy big, bold public art projects. They're frequently so good for photographs.

[housesparrow]

I would not have known that the hand was a child's from that photo. Knowing that fact puts a different persepctive on the whole thing - which I don't like at all, by the way.

[everso]

Riot, there was also a tree in this park that was made entirely of stainless steel.

As you all probably know, I'm a bit of a fogey regarding modern art, but these sculptures fascinated me.

[Weyland]

Oct 25, 2010 7:23:42 GMT housesparrow said:

I would not have known that the hand was a child's from that photo. Knowing that fact puts a different persepctive on the whole thing - which I don't like at all, by the way.

I know what you mean, Sparra.

And another thing -- it says the hand is bearing down on the car. Surely it's picking it up?

[everso]

Or possibly pushing it along, like a child does with a friction car? (Are they called that? Well, you know what I mean, one of those cars that you keep pushing to build up the speed of the workings.)

[Patrick]

Oct 25, 2010 9:45:18 GMT everso said:

Or possibly pushing it along, like a child does with a friction car? (Are they called that? Well, you know what I mean, one of those cars that you keep pushing to build up the speed of the workings.)

I thought that - Or picking it up. Bit of a wast of a Fiat 500 mind.

Oct 24, 2010 19:19:06 GMT Patrick said:

The artwork by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, titled 'Vroom Vroom', has been given planning permission by Westminster Council.

The 15ft (4.6m)-high piece will go on display on the central reservation in Park Lane at its junction with Stanhope Gate in central London.

The work, featuring the artist's first car, evokes the child within, he said.

With regard to the last line I think this chap maybe in touch with his inner Space Hopper.

[housesparrow]

At first glance, I thought it the hand was grabbing, to whisk the car away to the scrapheap or something. When I realised it was meant to be a child's hand that perception didn't change, and I thought "Oh, another little self-righteous bleeder telling us we're polluting their future environment".

I hate kids like that. They change their mind soon enough when they want a lift somewhere, or if a trip abroad is in the offing.

[Patrick]

...but it's a celebration of childhood! Who - well - what young boy hasn't thought - riding along in his parent's car "Wouldn't it be great if I was a giant and could have all these cars as my toys".

[Deleted]

NOT I.. as a child o often THought it would be great to be a giant and then i could kick all the little cars about and stamp on them and pick them up and crush them and throw them like king kong in fact i dressed up as king kong once wearing my mums furry brown hat and trashed my plastic toy bus out in the garden and got really told off for it.

[Deleted]

i can however relate to the silver hand element of the sculpture from the time when i took my etch a sketch out in the garden and smashed it open and got covered in all this dodgy silver studff contained within the etch a sketch i got it all over me on my hands and face and when my mum saw what had happened she went spastic at me but no matter how hard she tried to scub the silver off it would not budge, she used swarfega and brillo pads and everythink but no luck so for a couple of days i was a silver boy until the silver wore off or absorbed into my skin or somethink.

[Weyland]

Oct 26, 2010 9:02:28 GMT @costal said:

trashed my plastic toy bus out in the garden and got really told off for it.

Just as long as you didn't break the horn.

[Weyland]

Oct 26, 2010 9:05:48 GMT @costal said:

i can however relate to the silver hand element of the sculpture from the time when i took my etch a sketch out in the garden and smashed it open and got covered in all this dodgy silver studff contained within the etch a sketch i got it all over me on my hands and face and when my mum saw what had happened she went spastic at me but no matter how hard she tried to scub the silver off it would not budge, she used swarfega and brillo pads and everythink but no luck so for a couple of days i was a silver boy until the silver wore off or absorbed into my skin or somethink.

You wicked boy!

My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, early 1990s . . .



The pointy-haired buffoon is the manager. The other two are engineers/programmers. Very accurate reflection of modern reality in the corporate world. Trust me.

[aubrey]

That is a great cartoon, weyland.


That house that changes - I've been downloading some expressionist films, and the sets look like they'd do that if the camera moved at all. You see the actors walk into them, and they don't go the way you expect.

[Deleted]

cabinet of dr caligari by any chance? thats one of my favourites.. LOVE the look and set design

[Deleted]

i have it on video somewhere, its visually wonderful.

[housesparrow]

Oct 26, 2010 7:13:20 GMT Patrick said:

...but it's a celebration of childhood! Who - well - what young boy hasn't thought - riding along in his parent's car "Wouldn't it be great if I was a giant and could have all these cars as my toys".

Ah yes, a much nicer thought. I used to think similar thoughts about all the ponies I saw in fields.

But I'm just a miserable git, who is just setting out to drive past an almost unreadable poster in different coloured crayons telling me to slow down in case I hit the sanctimonious little brat who painted it. How my accelerator foot twitches.

[riotgrrl]

Oct 26, 2010 11:04:37 GMT housesparrow said:

Oct 26, 2010 7:13:20 GMT Patrick said:

...but it's a celebration of childhood! Who - well - what young boy hasn't thought - riding along in his parent's car "Wouldn't it be great if I was a giant and could have all these cars as my toys".

Ah yes, a much nicer thought. I used to think similar thoughts about all the ponies I saw in fields.

But I'm just a miserable git, who is just setting out to drive past an almost unreadable poster in different coloured crayons telling me to slow down in case I hit the sanctimonious little brat who painted it. How my accelerator foot twitches.

You are definitely turning into a grumpy old woman . . you'll be back on JSG in no time! Whatever happened to that liberal-minded reasonable Housesparrow we all knew and loved?

[Weyland]

Oct 26, 2010 14:22:43 GMT @riotgrrl said:

You are definitely turning into a grumpy old woman . . you'll be back on JSG in no time! Whatever happened to that liberal-minded reasonable Housesparrow we all knew and loved?

Think about it, Riot. When did Sparra show signs of this change? It was after September 9, I think you'll agree. And it's well known that post-traumatic stress disorder can take a while to manifest itself.

I'm thinking Lambeth. Don't blame yourself, Riot -- Ev was equally culpable.