Odd dream about flying pet pig inspires Nessie Project member's followup for ArtPrize 2010

RIGHT: A smaller mockup of the SteamPig for ArtPrize. The sculpture will be a 55-foot-long, 25-foot-high and 25-foot wide and made of the same foam that made up Nessie's body.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 5:57 AM
Rachael Recker | The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- Thomas Birks, a member of the Nessie Project team, remembers what could have been his first clue for his ArtPrize 2010 entry.

Birks would bring Cecilia, his potbelly pig, to visit his art deco Loch Ness monster, "Nessie on the Grand," that was a popular attraction in the Grand River during last year's arts competition.

"All of a sudden, the attention would come off Nessie and be on the pig," said Birks.

Nessie last year took sixth place and won $7,000.

Thanks to 2-year-old Cecilia, and what vivid dreams may come from owning such a pet, Birks conceived his ArtPrize 2010 entry, titled "Parcifal, The SteamPig," which is part floating ship, part flying machine, in the body of a pig.

Birks dreamt about his pet pig one night, flying and doing laps around the kitchen as she was strapped into a harness with Da Vinci-like wings.

"What was peculiar about it was that she seemed so happy and proud," Birks said.

Joachim Jensen, one of the other four Nessie Project team members, was sold on the dream. The two are embarking on what will be a smaller but more complicated and detailed sculpture than Nessie.

"This is going to be a bigger job, I think. I would say it's about three times the work," Jensen said. "I have a feeling I'm going to be at least as excited about this as Nessie."

The SteamPig pays homage to, well, Cecilia, even though the face resembles an Indonesian boar. But it also tips a hat to Grand Rapids' history in machinations, such as steam engines, as well as the Steampunk art movement popularized in the '80s.

Parsifal was named after a wandering knight of King Arthur's round table and the subject of Wagner's opera. It now has its own myth that can be read at steampig.com. It will be a 55-foot-long, 25-foot-high and 25-foot wide sculpture made of the same foam that made up Nessie's body.

The sculpture will weigh between 7,000 and 8,000 pounds, and contain about 60 pieces and 1,500 rivets. Jensen believes it ultimately will cost "a lot more" than Nessie -- more than $100,000.

The piece, which will be displayed in the parking lot of The B.O.B. facing Van Andel Arena, will be raised about 10 feet off the ground to dissuade the curious from climbing on it. ArtPrize attendees will be able to walk underneath it and stare into its lighted ribcage, displaying the wheels and machinations of a steam engine.

Painter Michael Knoll of Michael Knoll Paint and Design, will be painting the "earthy, old and dirty" colors of what's supposed to be a more than 100-year-old flying pig. Knoll also painted Nessie.

Work began last weekend on the actual sculpture at a downtown warehouse. Jensen looked anxious, but excited.

Said Jensen with a grin: "The chainsaws are sharp. They're ready to go."

http://www.mlive.com/artprize/index.ssf/2010/08/odd_dream_about_flying_pet_pig_inspires_nessie_project_members_followup_for_artprize_2010.html

Zebra herd allowed to stay

16 July 2010

The sculptor who created the popular zebra sculptures beside a lake in southern New South Wales has been thrown a lifeline.

Authorities initially ordered the herd's removal, but authorities appear to have had a change of heart.

Canberra sculptor Alan Aston installed the four life-size zebras beside Lake George around 20 kilometres north-east of Canberra one month ago.

Mr Aston did so without permission from the Department of Land and Property Management Authority.

The department says it ordered the herd's removal after a complaint from the grazier who leases the land. However, Mr Aston says the department has changed its mind.

"I don't think it is a backdown. I just think it is different people in the department are having different views," he said.

He has been advised to lodge a development application with the local council, improve fencing, signage and provide public liability insurance.

The department ordered their removal after a complaint. But everyone from local gardeners to the Canberra Airport and the racing industry's Briony Young hit back.

"It's such a great landscape to see when you are driving into the gateway of Canberra," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/16/2956050.htm

Students: can we have our bum slapping lucky cow back, please?

It’s a case of moo done it after a lucky statue of a cow was stolen from a college in Vienna days before their final exams.

The design students have begged police to find the life-size plastic cow, believing it brings good luck to anyone who slaps its rump before an exam.

The cow, decorated with Hawaiian flowers, was stolen from the school overnight.

The cow was one of the CowParade creations created by students for part of the largest and most successful public art event in the world.

Students now hope that tips leading to the thief will come forward after initiating a city-wide 'Wanted: Our School Cow' campaign.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/833486-students-can-we-have-our-bum-slapping-lucky-cow-back-please

Oh balls: vandals target Rocky bulls

By Maria Hatzakis

It claims to be the beef capital of Australia and Rockhampton's enthusiasm for the animals even extends to statues of bulls dotted around the city.

But the masculinity of the beasts has been the matter of some animated discussion.

Central Queensland University's student union president, Brendan Kirkman, says the statues have proven irresistible to pranksters.

"It seems to be a bit of an ongoing trend in Rockhampton that the bulls will lose some of their pieces - the bulls' balls," he said.

"It's the long-running joke that they be collected or removed."

Mr Kirkman concedes the quest is "a little strange", but puts it down to things that sometimes happen at university.

"I'm certainly not going to incriminate myself or anybody else, but they were taken as a bit of trophy," he said.

Tradesman Chris Murphy, who has been repairing Rockhampton's bull statues for more than a decade, takes it more seriously.

"It's of absolute importance because of the number of beef people that are coming through the town," he said.

"We don't want to be looked at as a joke and I think keeping the bulls in good shape and well painted and dressed up is what we owe the beef industry here in Rockhampton."

Rockhampton's Mayor Brad Carter agrees.

"These are lifelike statues representing the beef industry and they should represent an entire animal, not just an animal that's been defaced, so it is important we keep them intact," he said.

But Councillor Carters says it has made Rockhampton more notable.

"I think it shows a bit of the light-hearted nature of our community, that we do enjoy a joke, we do look on the lighter side of life," he said.

"I think it's just a great testament to the fact that our history and heritage of this region has been developed around the beef industry."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/22/2880474.htm