Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tee-rific artwork or rough & ready?
RESIDENTS are puzzling over art installations that have divided opinion after appearing in five towns.
Described as “living sculptures”, Ards and North Down Borough Council said they are intended to give people “an opportunity to consider and celebrate our local history and culture”.
Paid for by a £10,000 council donation and a Department for Communities grant, the artwork by Dublin-based artist Eoghan Riordan of the Netflix series The Big Flower Fight will be in place until mid-june.
The pieces – representing a golfer, goose, mermaid, a Spitfire and waves – have been positioned in prominent parts of Bangor, Comber, Newtownards and Holywood, but it’s the one in Donaghadee that has caused uproar.
There the rusted metal containers have been dubbed “Dee’s Digger Buckets” and it’s hard to pinpoint much positive reaction.
Among hundreds of responses online, local woman Anna Thompson echoed the majority of the sentiments and said: “These are horrible. It looks like the council brought rusty old skips and left them on the grass. Why not commission some stone or concrete statues of our wonderful marine wildlife?”
However, Michelle Johnston added: “I normally think sculptures are a waste of money but I love these.”
A council spokesperson said: “The living sculptures are created with living, growing grasses, vines, plants or trees. These unique, horticultural creations will grow and mature over the coming weeks and are individually themed to represent a key aspect of the history, culture or folklore of each town.”