The people of Cardigan expressed overwhelming support for pressing ahead with the Channel 4 Big Art installation ‘Turbulence’ at a packed out meeting on Tuesday night at the town’s Small World Theatre. With a clear mandate from those present at the open meeting of 79% in favour of the scheme the project team will now move forward to the final feasibility and technical stage based on the new proposed location at The Strand, located further upstream on the other side of the old bridge from Prince Charles Quay.
Close to 100 people were in attendance to hear Cardigan’s chosen artist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer alongside curator Wiard Sterk, stakeholders in the Big Art Project and the technical feasibility team explain the details of the proposed interactive floating sculpture and respond to a number of practical queries and concerns linked to this ambitious project.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, said, ‘The meeting was called in response to a number of issues concerning the practicalities of situating an ambitious art installation on the Teifi River. I needed the clear consent of the people of Cardigan for me to be happy to move forward to the next stage of the project.’
‘I was overwhelmed by the positive show of support from those in attendance for this project and I will ensure that this will be a great result for the town and people of Cardigan. We have been given a clear and resounding ‘yes’ to my proposal for the Big Art in Cardigan and I can now look forward to delivering an art installation that Cardigan can be truly proud of.’
22 users commented in " Big thumbs up for Big Art in Cardigan "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHello,was there another meeting somewhere then?
The one I went to last week had no vote taken that I was aware of!
The feeling I got chating to people after the “talk” was certainly against this blithering waste of money.
Please explain yourself big art indeed!
Cheers Pete
A public meeting was held at the Small World Theatre in Cardigan on Tuesday, September 2nd at 8pm.
The results of the ballot, which was taken at the end of the presentations and question session, showed a clear mandate from those present at the open meeting of 79% in favour of the scheme.
Objectors to the scheme had every opportunity to make their opinions known, but those present on the night voted overwhelmingly in favour of the project.
Hmmm… I was there, I voted and talked to lots of people afterwards who were all very positive about the project. Maybe the previous poster was so busy talking to himself that he missed the ballot ?
A note for Admin - discussions stemming from the last public meeting seem to be split between two parts of this web site, here and the Small World Centre bit. This somehow makes things a bit confusing!
Dear Raphael, The river has always been worshiped for the life that it brings. Please please Raphael, I’m sure you are very charming and lovely but please could you go back to where you came from and take your plastic bits with you.
This work of art has a far lesser environmental impact than any of the current and planned future activities. Its environmental impact has been carefully assessed and has been found to be well within the acceptable parameters set by the Countryside Council of Wales and the Environment Agency in Wales.
By drawing further attention to the beauty of the river and the life and activities it supports, it will enhance rather than detract from these.
The ‘ballot’ at the end of the meeting was a series of about 10 questions which could be answered yes/no. What was the breakdown of answers and how were they interpreted in order to arrive at your conclusion stated above?
The “straw poll” questions were:
1. Do you think it is a positive thing for Cardigan that it was selected for the Big Art Project? 88%
2. Do you think a major artwork is beneficial for Cardigan? 85%
3. Do you think an artwork in Cardigan could be a catalyst for regeneration? 78%
4. Do you think this work can connect a new audience to the cultural traditions of Wales? 77%
5. Would this audience like to see Rafael’s work realised in Cardigan? 79%
The audience were asked ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on each question.
On some ballot sheets not all the questions were answered.
The percentages were based on the number of yes’s out of the number of people that had answered the question
I use the river regularly and am concerned that it’s peace is preserved, that it remains navigable, and that wildlife and nature continue to thrive uninterrupted.
“Turbulence” will not impact on any of these - the artist has approached the project with great sensitivity and has sought the advice of specialists in these areas, all of whom gave positive verbal reports of their findings at the public meeting.
Those people who are so concerned about the natural environment might better turn their attention to the noisy and polluting vessels that I have often seen speeding along the river and out to sea. I recently saw two porpoises on the river bar scattered by a speeding jet ski.
My hope is that the big art project is realised. As well as bringing great pleasure and enjoyment to viewers, the work would be an asset to Cardigan. It seems to me that the objections being raised are simply knee-jerk reactions to an innovative artwork that draws from the best of Welsh culture and tradition.
I couldn’t agree more with Michael Turners comments.
I thought that the experts at the public meeting gave very objective unbiased opinions and everyone, including the artist, was unanimous in wanting the project to go ahead only if it had zero impact on the local wildlife. They even managed to keep their composure when shouted down by the aggressive questioner they were trying to answer, who I think is the architect of the factually incorrect petition doing the rounds?
I think a lot of this environmental concern is actually a cover to provide some kind of legitimacy to individuals dislike of a piece modern art, and if the proposal was for a 40 foot bronze otter we would be seeing far less objection.
Why not put some of this campaigning energy into something more relevant? I would be more than happy to actively promote a petition, which wanted to ban Jet skis in the estuary.
Rafael is an artist not a developer, the Big Art Project are not Liberty Mercian, they are not wanting to tear the heart out of the town and build a super market, they do not want to take away meals on wheels and replace them with frozen dinners and they do not want to turn the castle into holiday homes.
At the meetings I have attended Rafael has appeared approachable, open, honest and accountable- which is a lot more than some of the other organisations that have a direct impact on our lives.
I know that a lot of the people of Cardigan feel disenfranchised due to not being consulted on other issues but this project should not be the vent for that feeling. It would be a tragedy if this did not go ahead due to miss-representation by a loud speaking minority. Everyone who is in favour of this work need to make his or her voices heard.
Hello again Admin.
Would you like to enlighten us with regard to the number of people who completed the ballot paper at the end of the meeting? The statistics are all very well, but they were percentages of a very small sample of the local population bolstered by some speakers from outside of the locality.
There would appear to be an ‘anti’ petition with far greater numbers contributing than actually attended the Small World meeting. Was the meeting more about a good TV image than about the merits of the Big Art project?
Critics of the project seem to be more receptive when it is explained that the buoys will be contained within a ‘hull’ and effectively act as any other boat on the river (which many critics make regular use of).
It also helps to point out that the majority of funding is from private benefactors and if the project does not go ahead, will simply be spent on a different piece of art in a different town.
Whilst I believe that ‘turbulence’ can only be a positive addition to the town, if this proves not to be the case, it can simply be removed without leaving any trace on the river.
In response to Daihard’s comment:
The total number of completed ballot papers was 75 from an audience of approximately 90. The percentage results in favour were 79%. When almost 1 in 8 of the audience are unequivocally in favour of all questions asked relating to the Big Art Project, there can be no disagreement on the outcome. If the result had been the other way we would not be here now. There was no statutory requirement for a ballot of any kind but the project team needed a mandate from those at the meeting to see whether they wanted the project would go ahead. Not everyone did of course but 79% of them did.
This may make uncomfortable reading for those who wholeheartedly disagree with every aspect of the project, but the meeting was a completely open forum for those who both love, are lukewarm towards or downright hate the project. It was widely publicized and the large turnout was testament to that as were the number of questions posted beforehand via this website. Everyone in the town, or anywhere else for that matter, who wished to attend was free to do so. Everyone who did attend was also given a fair opportunity to have their views heard and debated.
This does not mean however that the project carries on regardless of any concerns there are or may arise in the future. This is a public art commissioning process unlike any other ever taken in Wales where open consultation has been at the heart of this project from day one. To date we have received very strong support for the project but also welcome the views of those, like yourself, who have concerns. The TV programme may have been the impetus for this work but its story is much bigger than any television programme and as such the artwork now has its own life and is a project that has most definitely become the ownership of Cardigan rather than Channel 4.
No mention here of the petition against this absurb scheme which collected over a thousand signatures from the people of Cardigan.
Perhaps this message will dissapear along with some of the others aginst this scheme that used to be posted here. Perhaps this site is as biased as the public meetings seem to be.
Jo, previous comments (positive and negative) have not been removed, the site does not display all past comments but instead archives them in the ‘So Far…’ section, which you can access from the front page
Not sure what good it will do for the town but even on the artist website of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer he doesnt mention the river Tivy for his project. I say Pedestrianise the main bridge, do away with that horrible footbridge and do something with the bridge & castle, maybe some amazing lighting or a clock of some source with a beamed light with pictures of Cardigan dating back many years in the backround, NOT A RIVER FULL OF BALLS please x
Jo Jackman is quite correct. There is indeed a policy of censoring some adverse comments on this project. I posted here after her to point out that the project could not realistically claim to have a mandate from a public meeting where 80% of just 100 individuals approved it, while a petition against it had gathered the signatures of well over half of the population of the town.
What is the point of having a part of the site inviting comment when those adverse comments are removed? This smacks of the same arrogance and lack of democracy that has manifested itself elsewhere with this project.
Watch and see how long it takes to erase this comment as proof. I’ll be watching and reporting the results to interested parties.
Right. My original post was critical of the project and asked whether a room of 100 individuals, 79% of whom voted for it constituted a mandate when viewed against 2500 local residents signing a petition against it.
Despite admin’s promise above that comments would not be removed, mine was. When I pointed this out in my post yesterday, that has also been removed.
I will therefore be notifying the media who have thus far indicated interest in this project, that the website set-up to inform people of the project has a space where comments can be made about it, but choses to censor adverse comments despite denying that it does so. I will also be informing Channel 4 of your policy, as well as BBC Wales and the local press.
When I posted the last post today, my previous post reappeared. My original post has not surfaced though. I will be keeping an eye on this and will take the action mentioned if these posts disappear.
Dear Xamin
We have approved your recent comments so that the public may read your views and we are replying by saying that we are more than happy to discuss the various aspects of the Big Art project, your concerns and respond to your questions.
This site has been set up to encourage public discussion and is available to all therefore we must act responsibly and continually monitor the comments and remove spam. We also reserve the right to edit or withhold messages if the content is insulting or offensive.
We thank you for your understanding.
I for one am excited at the prospect of this project. Before this issue became public debate I had not heard of Loranzo-Hemmer, but since then I have researched his work, it is both beautiful and innovative. Not to mention of international renown!
Cardigan has been fortunate to be given the opportunity to have a fascinating and unique piece of art. This will be invaluable to the regeneration of the town, encouraging more visitors. It is illogical to say that it is useless because there will be no businesses in the town to benefit. That is simply not true. I speak as the daughter of someone who has such a business in the town.
In addition to this, I am concerned about the inference that this money could be spent on ‘better’ things. This again is not true. If this money is not used on this project, Cardigan will lose it and all benefit.
Overall I get the sense that this protest has been largely fuelled by the jealousy a few local artists, and by uber-traditional crackpots.
I have always been proud of cardigan, and its open-minded and accepting population. We should be welcoming this project and the artist to our beautiful town. This project is like no other attempted in Wales, it is something to be proud of.
I feel sorry for the people of cardigan, that people want to subject them to this ‘artwork’. I used to live near the river lee in cork, Ireland, and there was an on going exhibition of floating pieces of plastic, left by the students and youths of the city. Thankfully, these floating condoms didn’t try to talk to me, like Loranzo-Hemmers art work will, if people are foolish enough to go ahead with the project, and waste money that could be used on public services, or to help homeless people, and people in need.
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