Yes at Bele Chere in 1982 this costly, overrated pile of junk was set in front of the city county plaza, yes people i'm talking in front of the court house and possibly the 2nd most beautiful building in Asheville, City Hall. I remember being a small lad of people laughing and sighing and yes out rage over the this piece of so, called art. This was just one of the many, many rust art pieces to puncture the heart of Asheville. From this point on at night you could see the homeless sleeping on it, urinating on it, and other nefarious nasty things all for the sake of art. Well it makes its return to public display once again as a donation to the city that city resources will be used to take care of it. In a recession and we got shoddy art work on the brain, got to love the Asheville Brain Trust . . . .
Abomination # 2, Today marks the return of the Flat Iron Sculpture in front of guess what the Flat Iron Building up town.
Imagine this its a Iron Sculpture of guess what an IRON. This building was a popular frame 8 story building from the 20's and 30's, New York has one. It just doesn't make sense to have on the street paid for with tax dollars. I'll admit its a bit better then other other Rust Art that litters our down town streets but its the principle. Other buildings don't have Iron boxes in front of them to signify that its a box shape but the Flat Iron building needs an Iron. What this is, is expensive back drops for people to take their picture in front with. Another thing that is NOT part of Asheville History, Rust Art is not what so ever part of the Asheville heritage.
And the local book exchange teeters in the balance because people are just taking books not exchanging like they should. Didn't know that their was that many copies of Hunter S Thompson Novels in the Asheville area that needed to be read. The point is people are taking without leaving books in their place, for EXCHANGE but its their own fault. Its also the Asheville Mindset that you have to bee SEEN doing something, from being seen downtown, to being seen as something as personal as READING. Heaven forbid you did anything in this town without being seen; drinking coffee, to to surfing the bloody internet. I have all of this at home Coffee, Internet, books and a comfy place to enjoy these things WHY would I want to go someone just to be seen reading, or drinking coffee or even on the internet?
Its an image and Asheville is full of symbolism over substance, either it be a pretend scene that it clearly does NOT have, or an Art movement where anyone with a Blowtorch, paintbrush, camera or anything is considered an artist, or if your hobby is reading you have to be seen doing the task in Asheville. I know a little town in the mountains of Western North Carolina that needs an enema and to get over itself.
People being comfortable in ones own skin is something that some in Asheville need to work on, with out looking to be seen doing anything. Something that Asheville portrays is trying to be freaky, well its not if everyone is doing it, its not being different its called Status Quo.
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