General Discussion
Pregnant woman statue in Ilfracombe
Anyone else catch this on the national news?
Why oh why would a sea-side town want a statue of a heavily pregnant woman as a tourist attraction? Anyone?
The news article may be on again this evening. Look out for someone saying that the woman looks so advanced in her pregnancy that if her waters broke she'd flood the harbour!
Seems it's costing Ilfracombe nothing as apparently it's been lent to the town for the next 20 years by the artist.
Someone has suggested to me that perhaps Dawlish should have as its tourist attraction a wacky naked statue of Brunel.
Now, that would be something to get steamed up about. .......
Blimy it looks awful ..it was just on BBC news 24, should catch it again around 8.50. Will be on Spotlight or West Country later for sure.
Good Idea Lynne.But not naked,definately not.As the railway Is close by yes It would be a good Idea.
Narrow minded people said similar about The Angel Of The North. That public work of art is now iconic, so who's to say that this one won't be similar?
@flo.it is on loan for 20 years.
@Nelson.the angel of the north is beautiful.have you ever stood near it? the pregnant woman is from a "wacky artist",(remember the cows and shark?), and is just awful. but if ilfracombe want it so be it.
Okay, so now that I/we know a bit more about this I now see the link between the statue and Ilfracombe - Damien Hirst, the artist who created it, apparently lives in or near Ilfracombe. He is a world wide known artist. His artworks are controversial. He has lent the statue to Ilfracombe for 20 years. Ilfracombe is looking to generate more tourist visits. Will the statue do that? Quite possibly. Has the statue cost Ilfracombe council huge amounts of money? No.
So, by installing it Ilfracombe has everything to gain and nothing to lose. And just remember all that free national publicity that Ilfracombe got yesterday.
Still not sure that I like it though.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19881524
@stephen15 - i agree with you entirely re taotn, my point though is that at the time it was conceived and then installed, the media (notably the daily mail) whipped up mass hysteria against it. the same's happening now.
and the more the controversy concerning it continues the more publicity Ilfracombe gets.
Day trip to Ilfracombe anyone?
(pity the branch line from Barnstaple no longer exists - we could all have gone by train if the line was still there).
We talk about improving Dawlish to attract more visitors i believe the powers that be in Illfracombe have seen a oppertunaty for a great deal of puplicity grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it. As Lynne says it will generate loads of publicity and lotts of visitors but i wonder what she would think about the same statue raised in Dawlish. I like it put on Tucks Plot it would look great.
Why on earth could he not design something in connection with the seaside?
Ho about a Punch and Judy or giant ice cream with a flake? ..but he chooses a pregnant woman!. I dont think it looks very nice that the new young mums go round town clearly showing their bump!
To me its tacky, it may well be right for Ilfracombe but Dawlish and South Devon is a bit more up market lol.
@leatash - as I said above, my personal verdict is still out with regard to the statue itself. So in reply to your question about Tuck's Plot I think I'd be weighing up the potential boost to Dawlish's local economy caused by something like it being located there, against my disliking of the statue itself. Of course if I liked the statue then for me it would be a no brainer.
@wondering- isn't punch in the habit of hitting judy around her head with his stick.......?
But I do like your idea of a giant ice cream with flake. Anyone know any sculptors living around here who are feeling generous?