[Closed] Artwork removed after Conservative calls it leftist propaganda

There are not enough frozen sausages in the world for *s like that.

It's a great example of not being able to face up to uncomfortable truths. Well, only uncomfortable for a **ng right-wing snowflake ****.

Telling the truth is leftist progapanda... Conservative rants about "attacks on history" while, er, attacking history.

If you can't be proud of your country warts and all, if you need to lie and cheat and hide the bits you don't like away from everyone, then you don't love your country at all.

The UK has been subject to a right-wing coup. Brexit was just the start.

It's all going a bit North Korea.

Trying to work out if this was a long term garden, or a short term art installation. If the latter, despite being removed its made the national news and therefore you could say its been a roaring success in raising awareness.

Could they not just have got it removed for being a bit shit?

If a handful of rose bushes and irises constitutes both art and left-wing propaganda, then my grandparents are clearly Pablo Picaso deep behind enemy lines.

All the guy was going to do was put another bit of laminated paper up next to the plaque with a different message on it. Presumably "No we didn't!" Why the hell did they remove it?

Plus, as Tinas said, that's really a bit shit anyway.

“I planned to take action by sticking a piece of laminated paper with a different message next to the offensive plaque. I planned to get national coverage.”

Regardless of how crappy the art might be, his 'national coverage' of this as far-left propaganda would quite likely result in vandalism, harassment, abuse, death threats etc towards the artist and the organisation.

It's very apparent that the supposed Tory commitment to free speech is only valid when it's the correct type of speech according to them.

Cancel culture is alive and well, then.

It's a ****ing bench and some roses. I'm guessing that there are more pressing issues for the elected members of Southend Borough Council to be concerning themselves with.

Arts organisation should have left the 'installation' in place. Any petty responses to it would have actually added weight to the statement it was rather weakly attempting to make.

It's a bit like the Neue Sachlichkeit painters being slung out of Nazi Germany, McCarthyism, Mary Whitehouse, Ulysses, Lady Chatterley, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Oz, Nasty Tales, on and on. Times like these we need artists to be making caustic observations. PS didn't want to revive the thread but I am eternally grateful for being introduced to Blyatman, kin inspired.

Well now I’m confused. I was expecting a sculpture, maybe a painting or at the very least maybe some graffiti on a wall. No, it’s a flower bed and some park benches.

No, it’s a flower bed and some park benches.

It's literally called "An English garden". I can see why they'd remove it, left there, it probably would've been "sadly vandalised" I hope it gets re-installed somewhere else away from the influence of petty local political bores and their paper-thin skins

It would've been lost on me. Why dig it all up?

Have they actually removed it all, or just the plaque? And then left all the pretty flowers and benches that the old folk can enjoy....

I say "all the pretty flowers", its a little sparse.

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It’s literally called “An English garden”.

So they weren’t even imaginative with the name.

It's not the greatest piece of public art, but the subject matter makes it interesting, and maybe brings to light part of the UK's past to those who may not be aware of it. The art is in the juxtaposition of twee against hard history.
It's enlightening to see how the right are using American culture war methods even at a local level.

I looked at the photo and assumed that the 'art' was the shipping container which had been plonked behind that nice little garden to make a statement about the environment being spoiled by the wastefulness of modern consumer capitalism. Or something.

So they weren’t even imaginative with the name.

I know right! Rather than something random or wildly out of context, imagine calling a piece of art what it actually is...What could possibly be more agit-prop than that? The ultra left wing propagandist bastards!

Arts organisation should have left the ‘installation’ in place. Any petty responses to it would have actually added weight to the statement it was rather weakly attempting to make.

+1

Reflects poorly on whoever caved in so easily.

How much "intense pressure" can some local busybodies really apply?

Fannies.

They should definitely have called it something that sounded like a Fall song

Altrincham Kebab Atrocity

imagine calling a piece of art what it actual is…

A couple of shitty park benches and a sparse rose bed.

I get the feeling that the red faced councillor scans the local rags frequently to find things to get in a froth about. This sort of thing makes me intensely angry because I can do nothing about it or similar actions. I do however have faith that enough of the great British public, such as esteemed friends here on the forum will do everything they can to stop the right wing march before we get to public book burnings and floggings.

a sparse rose bed.

Roses grow quickly, and it would have been rather difficult to fill the bed completely from the get go.

I'm sure it would/ would have looked lovely in two or three years.

A couple of shitty park benches and a sparse rose bed.

While I'm not the biggest fan of (or expert on) conceptual art, I suspect the artist was aiming for some sort of cognitive dissonance between the twee, municipal look of the "garden" and the underlying message.

It has a sort of 1960s or '70s vibe about it which fits with the nuclear arms race theme.

An English Garden was part an ongoing research project by Hirst into the Rosa floribunda ‘Atom Bomb’, a rose created by German breeder Reimar Kordes in 1953 in the midst of the Cold War arms race; a by-product of the public fascination with emerging nuclear technologies. Despite early market success the flower is now seldom found in public gardens and is arguably nearing extinction.

https://artreview.com/tories-censor-artist-anti-nuclear-garden/

^ All better now. The new un/installation should please every one of us miserable Brits I think all bases have been covered 🤣
#althoughtheresalwaysone

So they objected to a political statement about the current government and she removed the whole work herself then ranted about it .
Yeh whatever.
Non story.

It has a sort of 1960s or ’70s vibe about it which fits with the nuclear arms race theme.

Yeah it reminds me very much of that.

Yup Brads. They were asked to remove the plaque but instead they took their ball home.

The issue was with the small notice that explained the artwork and was critical of the use of nuclear weapons. Can't find the photo of it now, but seemed pretty difficult to argue with a notice saying that using a nuclear weapon to kill thousands of innocent people is wrong.

Either way, the rhetoric from the council wasn't 'us' or the 'people' - it was all 'I don't like this' From what I could tell it was a one man complaint, essentially an abuse of power to stop something he didn't personally agree with. Didn't even make any attempt to hide the fact.

^ All better now.

That's a brand new installation, called 'Nuclear Wasteland', which seems somehow more in tune with the Southend-on-Sea atmosphere.

Perhaps some local wag could nip down and populate it with ruins and shambling survivors?

Maybe they could move on to a more 80's vibe along the same theme and have a big statue of a riot policeman violently assaulting a lesbian outside Greenham Common?

That should keep them happy. They love a good statue

The issue was with the small notice that explained the artwork and was critical of the use of nuclear weapons.

The issue was a statement about current policy and criticism off current govt plans re nuclear arms.

The plaque

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The artists probably looked at how other people, celebrities, sports personalities etc, get abused if they dare speak up against the status quo, and thought that discretion was the better option. People are receiving death threats, and even being attacked, for their views, increasingly by right-wing ****s, as the toxic environment engendered by the government starts to really kick in. We are sliding rapidly towards fascism, and whilst it may be very worthy to take a stand, for the individual, it might just not be worth it. It's up to the rest of us to kick back against this tide of fascist aggression; you're either prepared to do what you can, or by your own inaction, are complicit. That's the bottom line.

The plaque

Any exhibit that needs that many words added to explain its purpose and meaning could be considered a failure.

Would these Tory councillors have been happy for people to start unilaterally putting up their own notices on, say, statues of people like Churchill, explaining that he is considered by many to have been a genocidal racist?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

Is it just me that thinks the crappy installation was just an excuse for the posting of the plaque - it seemed a pretty half-arsed attempt at an artwork in itself.

No,  not just you Johndoh.

Perhaps some local wag could nip down and populate it with ruins and shambling survivors?

You've not been to Southend, have you?

The 'artwork' is not just the flowerbed - the actual art relies on the interplay between the political statement on the plaque and some gammony councillors, showing in real time how culture wars can transform our English Garden into a patch of raw dirt, leaving everyone poorer.

2000IQ move by the artist.

You’ve not been to Southend, have you?

My wife comes from Saarfend, hence my affection for the place. 🙂

I think the whole thing has been a resounding success. Everyone feels vindicated.

Except maybe for the artist* If one’s vindication hinges upon the artist having only done this as a ‘stunt’ then therefore the artist is also vindicated. If on the other hand one’s vindication hinges upon the artist’s intentions being thwarted, then that too is the narrative. Everyone’s a winner and the future belongs to Schrodinger.

* #unlessitdoesnt #whichonlyprovesthatitdoes

Is it left wing because it says "the current UK government"?

I think the whole thing has been a resounding success.

Actually this. I never knew about the nuclear testing in Australia until now.

Would these Tory councillors have been happy for people to start unilaterally putting up their own notices on, say, statues of people like Churchill, explaining that he is considered by many to have been a genocidal racist?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

And whilst his views may well have been questionable, without him, and others like him, you would not be allowed to express your views, gay people would not be able to live their lives freely, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Perhaps that is progress?

Actually this. I never knew about the nuclear testing in Australia until now.

And thankfully neither will someone else as the story fades and the roses remain gone

#allwinnerslose

I wonder what happened to the roses? Since lockdown I've got really into my gardening.

So if I could procure some of these to not only make the view from my patio a bit nicer with some revolutionary gardening, but also make a political statement and stick it to the man, that would be a right result.

Take that, local gammons!

And whilst his views may well have been questionable, without him, and others like him, you would not be allowed to express your views, gay people would not be able to live their lives freely, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Perhaps that is progress?

Eh?

Any exhibit that needs that many words added to explain its purpose and meaning could be considered a failure.

Woooosh!

Eh?

No, I thought that, too. Bewildering.

And whilst his views may well have been questionable, without him, and others like him, you would not be allowed to express your views, gay people would not be able to live their lives freely, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Perhaps that is progress?

It was progress, its now the point from where were we appear to be regressing from. Governments persecuting artists and dictating what art is or isn't allowed - that the kind of thing we were saved from wasn't it? In the UK we have a deliberate arms-length approach with arts - although arts and culture are funded by the Government for the benefit of the wider public there are bodies and agencies that exist as a non-political buffer between governments and elected officials deliberately to prevent the situation like the one created by the Tory Councillors above.

Regardless of whether you like the art or not, those councillors have overstepped their remit - they've crossed a line and are abusing their position as elected officials.

So ignore the artwork and whether you like it or not - the actions of the councillors is the story -  something more sinister is happening.

something more sinister is happening.

#sindicated

Why are "hang em, flog em, British is Best, Brexity, Big Men" always such sneaky snowflakes?

Maybe it is just down to perceived inadequacy in cock length. Just a theory.

Why are “hang em, flog em, British is Best, Brexity, Big Men” always such sneaky snowflakes?

Because, thankfully/hopefully, they're dying out - They're losing the automatic power that used to come with just being white, male, well-off and loud, and they find that terrifying.

The tragedy is that it's not happening quick enough and there's a whole avalanche of young right wing misogynists queuing up to fill their boots.

Except maybe for the artist*

I think 'artist' is a bit strong. TBH 'gardener' is aggrandising that installation too.

If I was going to get cancelled by a gammon and get more publicity for my work that I could have otherwise imagined in my wildest dreams, I might be a bit embarrassed by that effort. They could have at least worked a knob into the layout in some way.

Because, thankfully/hopefully, they’re dying out – They’re losing the automatic power that used to come with just being white, male, well-off and loud, and they find that terrifying

This. Very much this.

Why are “hang em, flog em, British is Best, Brexity, Big Men” always such sneaky snowflakes?

I saw lots of gammons on twitter raging about an Eastenders storyline where the police were racist and an old West Indian guy said 'this country' in an angry/resigned kind of way.

We may have deported loads of Windrush immigrants for no reason, but it's still not ok for anyone to express reservations about the UK in a tv drama.

New plaque -

'REMOVED'

Stage 2 of a real interplay with Southend council reflecting how brexiters see British history.

..stage 3 coming soon.

Needs a local graffiti writer to go round 'bombing' Southend- on- Sea with images of atomic bomb mushroom clouds.

So ignore the artwork and whether you like it or not – the actions of the councilors is the story – something more sinister is happening.

This, very much this.

I saw it more as a horticultural exhibit of some rare/peculiar flowers, with a plaque with political commentary about where they came from, and where the current government is taking us. I think it being described as "art" is a bit of a stretch.

I despair that not-only have people voted for this cretin, they did so (and will continue to do so) BECAUSE he is a cretin. There are sections of society cheering this kind of action (see also condemning "taking the knee") without seeming to understand that this is the thin end of a very nasty wedge.

I say “all the pretty flowers”, its a little sparse.

Lawn's a bit shit. My bikes would not be seen dead on that.