Silver Shish Kebab

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The controversial work of art Silver Shish Kebab in its current place (2010)

As Silver shish kebab ( German  "Silver spit" ) to the public of Australia became known 19 meter high sculpture made of polished stainless steel was developed by the Australian sculptor Herbert Flugelman for the Martin Place in Sydney designed and shaped. Its real name is Tower Pyramid (pyramid tower ). In the late 1970s, Flugelman won a competition for a sculpture on Martin Place with the design. It was then set up there, but after years of discussion it was dismantled and in 1999 it was moved to a different location for which it was not designed.

Lineup

After the installation on Martin Place , which forms the largest pedestrian zone in Sydney and is considered to be the identity of Australia, Sydney split into two camps. The opponents, who demanded the removal, wanted to disqualify the sculpture with the designation The Silver Shish Kebab ( Shish Kebap is a grilled skewer made from pieces of meat and vegetables from Arabic and Turkish cuisine ).

The removal of the sculpture was presumably ordered by then Mayor of Sydney Frank Sartor in 1996. Flugelman fought for the sculpture and the location as long as he could, but Sartor avoided any discussion. He had no arguments, he hated the sculpture, said Flugelman in an interview in 2010.

The sculpture lay in a municipal storage area for years and was badly damaged by a truck. Eventually it was moved two blocks from the original location in 1999. Flugelman quantified the cost of this process in an interview: “ the original budget for the sculpture was $ 70,000; the move cost them [Sydney City Council] $ 350,000. "(German:" The original budget for the sculpture was $ 70,000; the transfer cost the city council $ 350,000. ")

Artistic works that are related to the design of a square are usually designed by the designers in terms of their size and statement about the importance of this square. For this reason, Flugelman at the time called the removal “ bloody amputation ” (German: “bloody amputation”) and “ historical and artistic vandalism ” (German: “historical and artistic vandalism”). In the meantime, however, he has found peace with the implementation.

In an art-critical consideration it is noted in connection with this sculpture that many of Flugelmann's works express the triumph of the human spirit. The size and statement of the sculpture are not relevant in the current small space. While the historical buildings and modern glass facades were reflected in the original installation site, only trees and the faces of pedestrians are reflected in the new, remote location. The originally silver sculpture now has a greenish shimmer.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Information about Herbert Flugelman.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 14, 2010@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au  
  2. ↑ Discussions about the place of installation . Retrieved August 14, 2010
  3. ↑ a b c Rosemary Neill: Defying gravity . Interview with Flugelman on July 10, 2010. In: The Australian; Retrieved August 15, 2010
  4. ↑ Explanation of the artworks in Sydney on massbug.org.au (PDF; 824 kB). Retrieved August 14, 2010
  5. ↑ Illustration of the greenish shimmering Shish Kebab. Retrieved August 16, 2010

Coordinates: 33 ° 51 ′ 53.3 ″  S , 151 ° 12 ′ 31.9 ″  E