If they could have, they would have...
Sure our property 'wealth' was only monopoly money after all.

http://www.liffeytown.com/

Oh but they did.

What absolute twaddle. How about doing some angry art about the property bubble _before_ it burst? How about taking aim at the specific people and institutions that kept it going?

No; far better to do something and cozy and completely unspecific. How very Irish.

"its time has passed and been replaced by a more sensitively attuned city". Oh spare me. Earth calling artist: the same government, institutions and property whores that pumped up and made their money off the bubble are all still there. None of them are shitting themselves because you're putting a plastic red house in the Liffey. Try the more direct, Valerie Solanas approach.

P.

I don't agree at all that the point isn't crystal clear oceanclub! Plastic, mass-produced houses and hotels thrown up willy-nilly where ever, regardless of how unsuitable the location and the wealth created from such properties just being 'monopoly money'.... I think it's a pretty straightforward stab at the farcical nature of the celtic tiger property boom actually!

Just because you prefer an even more literal and unsubtle approach from art doesn't make your statement that it is 'twaddle' justified. It's just his response to the ridiculous situation we find ourselves in. I don't get any sense from the article that it was his intention to make anyone 'shit themselves'! No artist has any particular duty or responsibility to be directly political in the manner you suggest.

No one artist, you're right. But none of them are, at least about Ireland. We had 164 artists recently get angry enough to advocate a boycott of Israel. Ignoring the rights and wrongs of that - where are the artists getting angry over Ireland? Where's the vicious satire here? We had a nude painting of Cowen and, er, that's it.

We just do cozy nudge-nudge satire instead, the kind that politicians can have a self-deprecating laugh at, just to show that they're really great guys. That's all this particular art is. I imagine Seanie would quite happily view it while munching on a canapé. Personally, without pointing out who was responsible, art like this just reinforces the "sure everyone is to blame therefore noone is to blame" meme.

As I said, the description ends with:



There's absolutely no grounds for such optimism. The exact same people and institutions are in power. If Art (with a capital A) doesn't confront this kind of thing, it's useless.

Here's my idea for art today: a photo montage of Bertie's face using the photos of the 527 people who killed themselves during 2009 (up 25% on 2008). Maybe I'll get an Arts Council grant.

P.

Lets all calm down now, forget our touchy artists and just enjoy the show:
Now - in true Dublin tradition (think 'Time in the Slime' etc!) we need a good NICKNAME for this flotilla of folly!
Starting bids anyone?

@ oceanclub

Well, I can identify with the wish for some seriously damning statement Art to be created but I can't say with confidence that it's not happening. Granted, it's not being publicised much if it is though that's for sure. I just think your indignance is a little OTT and misdirected too when you single out this guy.His particular piece here is just poking a little fun. Fine by me. There is a place for that too.

As for the grounds for optimism that the city might be more 'sensitively attuned' for the next while with regard to property development I think it's arguable at least; (a) we've enough developments already built now to last for a good while and (b) many of the public are now in such shock in the aftermath of this disaster that hopefully that level of excessive indulgence of the construction and property dev. sector won't happen again.Remember, we're being optimistic here for the sake of argument , not cynical, even if you think that's the more realistic stance. C'mon, surely it's possible Irish society might learn from past mistakes, no?

Like Tis Meself says 'Let's just enjoy the show'. It made me smile anyway.

Actually just thinkg about this though, maybe it's time WGU creates a public art installation. Now that, I'd like to see!

If anyone is brave enough to donate the space I'll do up the "works of art"!

Tax exemptions.

... and Tony Blair having the nerve and affrontery to actually write a buke ...

Hmmm, remember this?

Not sure if there's really been any advance - Culture Ireland is still dishing out wads of it

The three largest items on that list of grants are:

Druid Theatre Company presenting “Penelope” by Enda Walsh at St Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, New York, 26th Oct - 14 Nov, 2010
€48,000

Druid Theatre Company presenting "Penelope" by Enda Walsh at the Hampstead Theatre, London from the 7th February - 12th March 2011 and at the Studio Theatre, Washington DC, USA from the 15th March - 3rd April 2010
€85,000

Camerata Ireland performing a tour of the US, March 2011
€75,000

Somebody please explain to me why I - the hard pressed Irish taxpayer - am being forced to subsidise the theatre viewing habits of the English and Americans.

More complex thought required I fear. Think of it not as a service to the chattering classess of London and New York, but instead as a valuable means of maintaining Ireland's international image as a cultural oasis.

All of course in service of that mythical beast brand Ireland.

+1 hairy cake. Sure it's all about keeping up appearances, rather than encouraging the creation of art to stimulate, entertain or provoke people here at home now, isn't it? De land of saints and scholars, that's Ireland. And if they manage to impress dem furriners, we're delighted to take the credit. That's what it's all in aid of!