Belfast’s ‘Magic Jug’ dropped
BBC NI Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra has reported that the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development have confirmed that the ‘Magic Jug’ public art sculpture, destined for Fountain Street, Belfast, has been cancelled. [added link to BBC report]
Nothing to do with the campaign, apparently. The £100,000 cost has been cited as the main factor in the decision. They have, reportedly, already spent £20,000 on the commissioning process.
Adds In the comments zone Moochin points to this 27 Aug letter from the Department, responding to a 22 May letter from the campaigners against the sculpture.
Tags: Belfast, Culture, Economy, Government, Magic Jug, Public Art, Society
Topic: Economy, Government, Society and Culture
Region: Northern Ireland
Topic: Economy, Government, Society and Culture
Region: Northern Ireland
Read the Dept’s announcement and response which i linked to last night…..
Quite what they spent £20,000 on is not clear
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=1Y1pjdHt0kmIw8bgHvDirTyliFzlm4X87ROPibxLeldfRvHwZ7m14dsuSw5R-&hl=en_GB
Ta Mooch.
I’ve added it to the post.
What a shame. I rather liked the jug. It would have been an asset.
From the Big Issue..
DSD to replace magic jug sculpture with handheld “magic” panhandlers/beggars cup
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11136234
Great news! One less piece of tat funded by the taxpayer. Now, can we please move on to that piece of tat at Stormont?
Another example of Alex Attwood making good a Margaret Ritchie cock up. He’s turning into a decent Minister.
Whats wrong with a jug, perhaps an eight foot genie jumps out.
The Carson statue? I think there’d be opposition on both sides there.
“…that piece of tat at Stormont”
You want to get rid of Carson’s statue, David?
Fine by me. But Gerry might object, it could spoil his hurling initiative.
Replace it with Frank Carson – much more apt.
Frank is funny
Stormont is a joke
We could also replace Carson with a statue of Jim Allister to remind us just how horrible the past and how far we have come in rejecting him and his vision of society.
But enough of that – I liked the jug and it seemed a bit philistine to scrap it to save a mere £80k when £20k had already been expended, now it seems to no purpose