Angel of the South

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Sussexgardener, Feb 10, 2009.

  1. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7880889.stm

    Personally, I'm unimpressed. That horse looks so wooden and will look even worse when its 50foot high. The rearing Invicta horse of Kent County Council would have been so much better.

    Note, the "artist" is a former Turner Prize winner. Now, why am I not surprised by his design?
     
  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    Totally agree Aaron, its a poor stance, also the horse should not have a bridle, it should look free and wild.
    Looks a bit like one of those very poor, old paintings, that crop up from time to time on Antiques Road show, think they are by some geezer called, Stubbs?
     
  3. youngdaisydee

    youngdaisydee Gardener

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    Just wondering how its an Angel!!! Its a horse :) At least ours looks like an Angel...
     
  4. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    Not seen the Angel of the North in person only pictures.

    But it looks more like a rusting aircraft wing stuck on a figures back to me.
    That aint no Angel.:D

    Back to the white horse effort.

    Why is it at Ebbsfleet, Not a part of Kent I am familiar with, but surely its nearly in London.
     
  5. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    Its all about regeneration and showing off to visitors when they arrive on Eurostar. With a big white horse that looks like a My Little Pony toy. Great!
     
  6. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    So, who is going to arrive at Ebbsfleet?
    What is there for the continental visitor?

    Surely everyone will go to St Pancras, and just wish the train had not wasted time stopping in EBBSFLEET.

    It will end up like Ashford "International", and by passed.:hehe:
     
  7. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    http://www.highspeed1.com/services/southeastern-railway/

    Found this load of old pony,

    Sounds very good, but how much will it cost to travel on and the usual poor old commuters will still be risking life and limb travelling everyday to London on a third world cattle truck railway.
     
  8. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    Ebbsfleet is useful for us locals, its just off Junction 2 of the M25. At my last company the Directors had to go to France where the HQ was at a moment's notice and Ebbsfleet is a lot more accessible than Ashford.

    Apparently there's a new town being planned for the area too. As if the Medway Valley area doesn't have enough housing built on the flood plains.

    Still, a decent sculpture would have been preferable. A horse I don't mind, just not one with a bridle. I really wonder if the "artist" did any drawing at all.
     
  9. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    As I said, its almost in London, probably will be one day, so why put the white horse of Kent there?

    How about on the hills around where the tunnel comes out at Cheriton.
     
  10. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    I know what its for, the French are going to hide inside it and late at night when no-ones looking, they are going to sneak out and open up our side of the channel tunnel to let the rest of their mates in.
     
  11. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Now Folks! Lets be charitable about this.

    It's must be pretty obvious why it's a good idea :thumb:. It's because........erm :scratch:... now let me see :scratch:.......erm :scratch:.





    Sorry!!!! Can't think of anything :(. It's a load of cr*p :hehe: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
     
  12. Daisies

    Daisies Total Gardener

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    Well, youngdaisy will agree that when the Angel was proposed people were saying exactly the same kind of stuff about it. First I heard was when I attended a Christian Conference in Sunderland shortly after it had been commissioned and he referred to 'that unsightly, rusting aircraft wing up on the A1'. But there was a documentary done by Look North on it's 10th birthday and they went back to all the people who'd been on record slating it then and asked them if they still felt the same. The vast majority had developed quite an affection and pride in the monument.

    But having said all that - I, too, thought that this horse reminded me too much of the plaster ornaments handed out at seaside bingo games years ago. Yuk!
     
  13. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    The Angel of the North, whilst controversial at the time is at least a good piece of sculpture and in a fitting location.

    The statue of the horse (note I said statue, not sculpture as the latter implies some work went into designing it) looks like a plastic children's toy.

    Costing £2million....
     
  14. capney

    capney Head Gardener

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    One question.............WHY?
     
  15. clueless1

    clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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    It sounds like the Christian Conference bloke described it very well. The first time I saw the angel of the north for real, my initial reaction was of horror that someone had been allowed to dump a load of sc r a p metal into a field, then I realised what it was.

    The only saving grace as far as I'm concerned, is that in hundreds of years, some archealogists will find a piece of it, and conclude that we all worshipped it and sacrificed goats around it while dancing aound it naked in the moonlight. That would be quite funny.

    What I don't understand is why we keep get loads of junk appearing all over the place. I've seen old bits of machinery mounted in the middle of roundabouts, someone put a very well corroded anchor on the promenade at redcar I noticed when I last went up that way, and now someone's made a huge horse thing for no good reason.

    I wonder what would happen if I decided to sc r a p my car, and after dismantling it I put bits of it on roundabouts, on posts in town centres and the likes. I reckon I'd get done. Yet our tax is being used to pay for someone else to do more less exactly that.
     
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