FREE METAL FOR ALL

[Fairlawner]

After driving past the development on Bell Green the other day, I was confronted by the tasteless sculptures (if that word can be used to describe them) that have been added for all to enjoy. My only thought (hope) was that someone out there might see an opportunity for scrap metal and go and angle grind them out of existence? I thought i'd spread the word, in case anyone knew a guy, nudge nudge?

Shocking, its like design without eyes!

P.S Apologies to anyone sleuthing for a Barbara Hepworth sculpture lead!!

[Voyageur]

Photo?

[Annie]

Do you mean the things by the gasometer? with the pipes coming out of them?
I assumed they were part of the plumming/structure of the building, are you saying it is sculpture?

[leenewham]

This isn't the crappy tree sculpture* is that that replaces the original design for landscaping the area (which looked brilliant)**

* Opinion formed by original drawings and images submitted to planning of a metal tree that looks like it will be covered in bird poo after a few months.

**Opinion formed as above.

[JulietP]

The heading of this subject isn't particularly funny on the day after the Hepworth statue in Dulwich Park was stolen - presumably for scrap metal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/ ... sfeed=true

[Annie]

All Fairlawner was saying, is that there is metal in lower sydenham thats an eye sore, nudge nudge wink wink,
I thought that was fairly funny

[Fairlawner]

Thanks Annie, pun was intended.

Bad show on the Babara Hepworth front even worse on the metal tree front at Lower Sydenham. Is nobody on the town planning/public spaces front bothered what Sydenham's turning into, I seemed to still get shocked strangely, loving the new funeral parlour on the high street by the way (sarcasm intended). Another new eye sore to walk passed every day.

[Annie]

Honest to god Fairlawner, I thought that (I gather we are talking about the same thing) was just something to do with the building, my husband and i drove past recently and thats what we assumed it to be, although I did say to him that I thought it was some sort of art? then we dismissed the idea.

Lee where are you? do a "what if " and give it to the planners before its tooooooo late!

[leenewham]

I'd love to but it's already been done which was the previous landscaping using real plants instead of metal ones. Besides I've had to put What if Sydenham on hold for a while (apologies to Wellbeing and a few others) due to other commitments.

I hope this art turns out better than the original proposal I saw online ages ago.

[Tim Lund]

A photo for Voyageur - and others

[Voyageur]

Thanks Tim,

For what it's worth I rather like it - I find the curly bits quite visually appealing. Hey ho.

[leenewham]

Tacky. What a waste. One for, one against.

[marymck]

Aren't they just Christmas decorations put up by the builders, using bits of pipe?

I really think it's just a bit of Christmas fun and not meant to be art, so I'd be very surprised if they were meant to be permanent. (BTW who was that lovely Scottish TV presenter of one million years BC - and Nationwide - who described an artist's work as "That isnae art. That's phoney art. Or phart." I'm having a senior moment & it's driving me mad that I can't remember his name.)

To be honest, I rather lost the plot with all the recent amendments to the Bell Green scheme, which can be viewed here.

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/lewis-xs ... IPSESSION={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}

Not sure if any of those amendments cover this.

Also, completely unconvinced that this link will work. It seems far too long.

[Rachael]

Aren't they just Christmas decorations put up by the builders, using bits of pipe?
.

That seems highly unlikely. A bit of tinsel and some fairy lights on the crane are more usual.

I have mixed feelings about these 'sculptures'. They have a really twee, throw-back-to-the-1980s feel about them. And yet, every time I am waiting at the lights to drive into Sainsburys, they sort of cheer me up. I think it is because they look better than the scaffolding. But I'm not sure how they are going to look once the apartments are all finished.

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[Fairlawner]

They are rank and will become as tacky and covered in Guano as the Catford cat. The fact that they have been described as Christmas decorations or a bit of fun made by the builders goes to show how utterly appalling they are as a permanent fixture or sculptures. As you can tell, its hit a nerve with me.

Anyone want to buy my house as I have no faith in Sydenham improving any more!

[leenewham]

This is the original scheme for Bell Green based on natural planting and architectural interpretations of reed beds, which I think would have been lovely.

http://acolnet.lewisham.gov.uk/ACOLLATE ... 989_14.pdf

Instead we get this pear tree nonsense:
http://www.sydenhamsociety.com/2011/03/ ... ell-green/

Perhaps they should grow ivy up them.

I have to admit that I feel pretty despondent like my fellow Fairlawner (we are not the same person!) at Sydenham and how it's 'improving'.

I now rate Penge as a better high street (content wise, it still looks shabby but I got to meet a lot of traders there recently and it has a buzzy feel about it) which has a good traders group and seems to be going places, plus I rate Cllr Getgood as someone who will fight for area over council and party.

Forest Hill has leaped ahead in terms of being a nice place to visit, we go there to visit the coffee shops (we also visit the ones in Sydenham but it's nice to have a choice).

I don't like feeling despondent and will always support Home Park and the Library here but it just seems like money and effort is frittered away on daft ugly sculptures, pocket squares next to funeral parlours, speed bumps and mosaics.

The Greyhound's future is looking insecure, the development round it grown since planning approved it (not aure how they managed that), There is no vision, no idea, no strategy, no strong traders association (Kirkdale excepted), and no light at the end of the tunnel.

Compared to what other areas are doing around London it really feels like Sydenham is falling behind.

Questions is, how do we turn this around? Ideas anyone?

[Tim Lund]

Lee

I'm thinking serious about your last question - "how do we turn this around?"

Meanwhile, this from that SydSoc page intrigued me

The unnamed artist’s vision is that ...

Did the artist concerned not want his/her name to be known? Did he / she get paid? If so, how much and by whom? Was there any tendering process as recommended by Lewisham's Arts Strategy?

[Voyageur]

Well they are there folks, and I think they are quite charming. Grow to like them or feel bitterness churning in your gut as you drive past each time - your choice. Life's too short.

[Fairlawner]

Where's my angle grinder!!

[G-Man]

I too feel the same Fairlawner and Lee. The new co-op funeral parlour is hardly elegant looking, and money is being wasted.

Why are the Sydenham Society and our councillors campaigning and what is Penge's councillor doing that is so different?

I do hope the Greyhound happens. It saddens me to think it won't.

There is so the market for choice in Sydenham, just look at the types of people you see getting on and off trains, whom I rarely see on the high street.

G-man

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