Pages

Friday 9 December 2011

Heart of the Beast

.

As many have likely heard already, Occupy Calgary packed up and moved out on their own timeline; rather than have a stand off at today's court imposed 2:00 PM deadline.

Kudos to them for doing this.

In place of their tents this morning was a large metal sculpture titled "Heart of the Beast".



I just heard Bill Bruce (head of by-law) say on the news it will be hauled away as debris left in the park. He went onto explain putting things on property that don't belong there is in fact vandalism.

Given Cory and I were victims of a similar stunt just last night (a tent was erected and other things left in the back of Cory's truck) I can relate to what Bill is saying. However, there is one important difference. What happened to Cory and I was intimidation; the sculpture I see more as a peace offering.

Someone spent time creating it, likely with a great deal of emotion. Whether those emotions at the time were directly connected to Occupy or not isn't important. It would be very interesting to hearing the artists story behind the artwork. I see it as a gesture to remind people our rights to speak out; even when some may not like what you have to say.

I don't think it should stay in Olympic Plaza, but I certainly don't think it should be scrapped or stored away somewhere. In my opinion one of the better ideas coming out of the Occupy group was for there to be a "Speakers Corner" of sorts.  This would be the perfect opportunity to combine that idea with this artwork.

My suggested would be to have it installed at Shaw Millennium Park (skateboarding park).  I think there are a few reasons why this would be a good fit.

First, it is predominately a concrete park and this would add an element of interest. Second, this is the only park in Calgary that is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; a speakers corner needs to be available around the clock. And lastly; it is most popular with our youth. I believe one of the greatest lessons we can instil with our youth is to speak out for what they believe in, even when the odds seem against you.


If someone has a clear picture of the "Heart of Beast" I would like to add it to this blog entry. 


Thanks to @can_kt for sharing her picture.

10 comments:

  1. Well said, I think that would be a great solution for it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow Jane, aren't ideas scary? How dare our fellow citizens point out problems in our systems and foster discussions on finding solutions. Don't they know we have a world to exploit, money to make and most of us don't have the time to try to fix problems for the sake of bettering our world and providing futures for our children. Shut up and go home. Your ideas are scaring us and threatening our way of life. PS. How much for the sculpture, it looks classy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Someone spent time creating it, likely with a great deal of emotion. Whether those emotions at the time were directly connected to Occupy or not isn't important. It would be very interesting to hearing the artists story behind the artwork. I see it as a gesture to remind people our rights to speak out; even when some may not like what you have to say."


    Thank you for this post today Jane. I have been one of the more VOCAL Anti-Morgan mouthpieces But this post is loving, kind and I respect it!

    Thank you for this post.

    :D

    Have a great weekend Morgan's !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow Jane. Thank you for saying so. I think the statue is gorgeous and I'm glad that you understand and appreciate its intent.
    Mandi Schrader

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the kind comments.

    Anon 11:01 all I can say is WTF???

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jane we may not agree on many of the things you have posted here, but your comments about the sculpture are spot on. I think it should be placed somewhere, if not in Olympic Plaza, another city owned park where it can be enjoyed by all.

    PS - I hope at least the tent they left you can be used for camping :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anon 11:48 LOL about the tent. It and the contents were taken by police as evidence.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks Jane. I support Occupy, but I don't support vandalism.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Occupy Calgary complied voluntarily with the eviction order and left a piece of artwork behind. You responded with graciously. Perhaps they are starting to learn that while you can disagree, respect earns respect. This was a great post. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Many thanks Jane for your graciousness and respect. May you have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas season. Allen Goulais

    ReplyDelete