Money for art is wasted cash

Jun 13 2010 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

THE giant Temenos sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor has been unveiled at Middlesbrough.

I did something similar, admittedly on a smaller scale and in a different medium, with my Spirograph when I was nine.

That was on paper, this is in steel, but it’s still playing around with shapes.

Temenos is a sort of, kind of, Spirograph pattern of a funnel.

It took four months to make on the banks of the River Tees near the Transporter Bridge.

Funding for the project came from One North East, Arts Council England, and the Northern Rock Foundation.

It’s meant to be a world-class installation, as they say in art circles.

Any good? Come on, folks, you know what this column thinks about art by now. As a piece of art it’s an unnecessary indulgence and frivolity when the country is broke.

As a piece of engineering, however, I have to admit I’m impressed.

It’s just a shame that all that skill was wasted on the assumption that artists are gods and we should worship at the feet of their creations.

It is the first of five – count them, five – so-called Tees Valley Giants.

Another four big artworks are planned for Stockton, Hartlepool, Redcar, and Darlington.

Can we afford to pour money into things like this when, as I fear, the poor will become poorer and the rich will become richer under the cuts that are to come?

We need to prioritise where we spend our money – and art is way down on the list!