Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit doesn’t look as though it will stand up. Why?
It’s all very well designing new age things which look like they won’t stand up so that they look interesting and tug at our inner senses of insecurity and make us feel excited but, honestly… why? Are we trying to continually unnerve the people of Britain and make them feel uncomfortable with the instability of their lives? Are we trying to show to other nations how unstable we are and that it wouldn’t take much to make our entire country come tumbling down if you just know which bit to target?
Perhaps this kind of response is exactly what Anish Kapoor was aiming for in his target audience – a kind of confusion and awe. I certainly think that the sculpture is truly awful, so, that covers the awe bit. The thing is, even if he did expect this response… WHY? What is the reason that such a desire to elicit this response is necessary? Does that not also give you a bigger sense of dysfunction within society as a whole? And if the only purpose of the sculpture is to elicit this response, then, well, its done. The response is there! I have just given it. So now, cancel the construction. Your work is complete, just by doing such a retarded design. There is certainly no other reason for building the sculpture. It’s not pretty, it does not gain attractiveness by being over 100 m tall rather than three inches on the page of my laptop computer.
WHY?
It’s a question little asked by clients of their “artists”. As soon as they know it to be art, it suddenly doesn’t have to have any reason! OK, I admit that art from the beginning of time wasn’t necessarily useful, but it certainly had a reason! We’ve even got to the point where attractiveness isn’t considered as a reason for art (otherwise it would actually look good), education isn’t a reason (otherwise it would instinctively say something to anyone looking at it), it isn’t for historical record (because otherwise it would actually depict something of our culture, of ourselves).
So…
Why?
Oh… and who’s paying for this eyesore?
[UPDATE 28/11/11] I’m afraid this eyesore has now been built. I witnessed it from the train on my way to London. Here’s proof of its profound beauty: