POLL - Bricks and Mortar

[Jediboy]

Please vote for your favourite image.

[jinky]

Thanks for the votes - tight there Chris but I'll claim as first in. Struggling to get an entry for this week so my run might be over . No access to archive except anything on.my phone so will have to look.

[Jediboy]

Well done Jinky. Loved the brick man, where is this? Right on theme and deserved winner. 

[jinky]

Well done Jinky. Loved the brick man, where is this? Right on theme and deserved winner. 

I wish it was really where it should be! This is a virtually man sized prototype of a work by Gormley which he propsed to create as an iconic piece of art for a main gateway into  Leeds. It would have been 50 ft high as opposed to this 5ft high piece on display in Leeds Art Gallery. Leeds was known then as the "red brick city". Unfortunately a campaign by the local rag and public , backed by the councillors in charge at the time turned it down as being unsightly and not artistic. Stupid! Leeds still lacks an iconic art piece and it would have been a coup at the time. By the time the powers that be changed their mind Gormley had moved on to do the Angel of the North and other pieces and didn't want to know. Cannot say  I blame him! When I worked in Leeds council regeneration department I constantly brought up this attitude comparing it with the effects on tourism that such as the Angel, the Sage and the Baltic had on Newcastle / Gateshead. Even contacted Gormley myself with permission to try to get him back on board but he'd no intention of returning to it.

[Jediboy]

What a shame.
I do wonder why some can't see the potential benefits of this type of art work, and like you say, I don't blame Gormley for not wanting to know.
Very shortsighted.