Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Britain enters twentieth century, loses last remaining bit of style

I'm sorry, folks, but this:



Via le Grauniad.

Just reminds me of this:



And that was a silly little spoof in the first place.

They don't get modernity in Blighty, do they?

Or - hang on: Is this maybe the Empire designing back? Haha, I got it! This is a piece of postcolonial public art - Anish Kapoor's answer to the Brighton Palace (or Royal Pavilion or whatever you call it).

11 comments:

Francis Sedgemore said...

That'll keep the East End scrap metal thieves in business for a while.

Mademoiselle Catherine said...

Oh my God! I saw it in the papers today, and, well... what should I say: it's even uglier tham the Eiffel Tower!!!

mikeovswinton said...

Isn't it a rather more stylish and cool version of that awful TV thing they have in Berlin Alexanderplatz? Now THAT really is dreck.

https://obscenedesserts.blogspot.com/ said...

Mike, didn't you know? The TV-thing in Berlin was designed by Anish Kapoor during his time in the Montessori kindergarten in Mumbai.

You mean the world clock? I find that actually quite retro chique. I once - in the olden days - tried to spend my stash of unspendable GDR money by dishing out on a lavish meal in the nearby "Gastmahl des Meeres" commurant. The grumpy waitress refused to serve us because we hadn't waited to be seated.

Why am I telling you this?

Anyway, that tower is still ugly and Mmelle C. seconds me. So does Francis, I think - but with him you never know. That makes three of us. We win.

mikeovswinton said...

No, I meant the TV tower. But now you mention it, the whole thing looks a little like a cross between the World Clock (which I tend to call "Love in Berlin" after a rather strange lesson in a German language course I once did) and the TV tower.

mikeovswinton said...

I think Francis may be in favour of the tower. Depends who his friends are......

Francis Sedgemore said...

"I think Francis may be in favour of the tower. Depends who his friends are......"

Careful now, or I might just sue you. In England.

mikeovswinton is innocent. said...

My solicitor has asked me to note that my earlier comment included a reference to Mr A. Kapoor, a possible friend of Dr F Sedgemore. There was no implication that Dr Sedgemore has any knowledge of/friendship with any "tasty geezers" who can assist with the supply of 'second hand' scrap metal, know what I mean guv. Allegedly.

https://obscenedesserts.blogspot.com/ said...

Now, now, lads, let's be careful 'ere. We don't want no trouble 'round these parts. We're peacable folk, we are.

And distinctly non-libellous.

Anonymous said...

They don't get modernity in Blighty, do they?

They were really good at modernity in the nineteenth century. The Forth Rail Bridge uses the same cantilevered steel structure as the Eiffel Tower, and looks much better. I agree that they've lost their grip since about 1900 or so. This pylon dying to go to the loo is an example of that.

mikeovswinton said...

Doing a bit of googling, its nice to see that you are with the Mail on this, along with their readers who appear to have been shocked, nay appalled, by the length of the Doctor's assistant's skirt on saturday night as well as by all this modern art.