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From the BBC press release:
"De Monchaux's inspiration for the shape of the memorial comes from Churchill's use of the structures of poetry and song in the preparation of his wartime messages.
Churchill's speech drafts were typed from shorthand notes in what was known by his office as 'Psalm Style' ? blocks of indented text, stepping diagonally down the page ? and the finished drafts were known as 'Hymn Sheets'.
The form of the sculpture takes its cue from the visual structure of the 'Psalm Style' drafts and four facsimiles of these drafts will be embedded into the top surfaces of the central tier of the memorial."
Using this as a kick-off point, how about we discuss the use of modern art sculptures to represent historical figures and events? Can it measure up to the traditional statue on a plinth? Or does it just over-complicate things?
Taking the above example, I would say that this sculpture is, sadly, one of the ones that over-complicates things. OK, so it was interesting that Churchill had an eccentric style of writing his speeches, but is that really so important that you build an entire sculture around it? Shouldn't a sculpture that commemorates a famous individual be more obvious in terms of who it represents? To me, that spiral thing does not recall Churchill. It looks like any one of the hundreds of abstract objects that local councils distribute through estates, shorelines and other public spaces. Objects that hundreds of people simply walk past, that don't grab your attention and that certainly do not inspire you to think about what or whom they represent.
Granted, this is very personal thing. But can you truly stand there and tell me that an individual, confronted for the first time with that sculpture, will think of Churchill and his achievements, even tangentially?
I'm not saying all modern art style memorials and sculptures do not evoke something. Take the memorial to the book burning in the Bebelplatz in Berlin as an example. Even without knowing about what took place here, it is possible to take from the memorial the sense that something which had far-reaching consequences took place here. The idea of a library with empty shelves, sunk into the ground, has something about it that makes you wonder why this is here, and what it represents. It makes you think (and yes, I know that at this point I need to caveat my statement with the fact that not everyone thinks alike)
The above Churchill piece, in my opinion, does not. |
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