I don’t know that it’s quite as bad as the grisly murder of the hitchhiking Canadian robot that had been sent to America to learn about empathy and trust only to be torn limb from limb a few days into his trip like C3PO in Cloud City, but, this morning, when my kids pointed out that a piece of artwork installed in Riverside Park by the DIA had been repeatedly stabbed, I felt the same kind of sadness wash over me… Who in the fuck kills a robot that just exists to say “hello” and ask for a ride? And who repeatedly stabs a painting of a little bear cub making its way down a river in a boat?
Speaking Hitchbot, the helpless robot from up north who was kicked apart in the City of Brotherly Love and left for dead in an alley, you can be certain that someday, when the robots rise up, the phrase “Remember Hitchbot” will be on their cold, metal lips.
22 Comments
People who know their future has been pre-fucked and that they can do nothing about it.
Not everyone likes the later work of George Caleb Bingham.
I thought the same thing yesterday AM. The answer: drunk people.
It’s not an excuse, but the bear in that painting is terrifying. It has no face.
Maybe it’s this guy?
http://markmaynard.com/2012/07/promoting-the-shadow-art-fair-in-riverside-park-at-midnight-among-armed-strangers/
I think stabing is different than typical vandalism. Drunks might pee on it or throw a bottle through it but stabbing is a repeated violent process. It’s very crappy that happened in any case.
Funny – the last two times we’ve had art in the park there were no issues. And the first time – we had folks building onto the art frame to add more art.
The first time the DIA put art in the park:
Who puts anything up in public and assumes it won’t be vandalized? This sounds like a failure to consider the inevitable.
And for the record, I support the stabbing of art. Art gets nowhere by endlessly venerating the old and tired. Art is as much creation as destruction.
As for HitchBot, it appears there is some suspicion that it wasn’t just a random vandal but rather some bloggers that killed it.
Either way, I’m glad that HitchBot is dead. It was a stupid idea.
“I support the stabbing of art” should be a button.
I would love to believe that this was an act of protest against the hegemony of white male dominated art world. Or even an angry, displaced human saying fuck off to art. But I still think it was just a drunk person.
Although, I have been inclined to stab some public art in Ann Arbor… It’s really bad. Those bike racks that say ‘art’ or are shaped like… bikes. The stupid giant white fish (which look like gold fish v any local species) jumping on dry land next to our soon-to-be 1.4-Dioxane-poisoned water supply… the fountain at city hall that doesn’t ever work and looks totally parched. –All solid candidates. Someone added an ‘f’ to the art racks. That’s a start I guess.
The street art being erased constantly is better than the paid for public art. Some of it is really good lately. My favorite graffiti going back to the early 90’s: ‘Poverty is violence’ changed to ‘puberty is violence’. Also in the Fleetwood bathroom: “I’m not going to hitch my wagon to your hearse.”
…which reminds me, I need to go clean my bathroom now.
Someone was probably trying to cut the image off to sell at DIYpsi.
Peter Larson hates hitchhiking and robots
The robots won’t be coming for us anytime soon.
http://i.imgur.com/8JIA2uz.gif
Maybe it was the same “radical” assholes that tagged up the park.
The bear? THE BEAR.??? Take a look at the oarsman. He’s just screaming “Stab me in the eye, why’n’cha?”
I like both hitchhiking and robots, but that HitchBot was some ugly shit.
Somebody should have smashed that thing for bad design alone.
I was just in Riverside Park and this piece has been un-stabbed.
As good as new.
It was fixed in time for Ypsilanti’s Fall River Day tomorrow:
Come enjoy the fall colors along our Huron River in Ypsilanti! River Day consists of exhibits and programs from 11am until 3pm in Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park (north end, entrance on Cross Street just east of Huron Street) along with canoe trips on the Huron River.
Programs and exhibits at Ypsi River Day include…
· Noon – “History On The Huron” talk by James Mann
· 1pm – “Birds Of Prey” by the Leslie Science Center
· 2pm – Fly-Fishing Demo by Shultz Outfitters
· 11am to 3pm – Exhibits by the Huron River Watershed Council, Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission and more.
· Art from the Detroit Institute of Art as part of the DIA “Inside-Out” series
Canoe trips will also be featured on the Huron River (first-come, first-served). For the Ypsi River Day canoe trips, the City of Ann Arbor Canoe Livery will transport participants by shuttle to the Dixboro Bridge area of the Huron River where they will put in and canoe back to Riverside Park (approximately 5 miles). Trips will depart from Riverside Park at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm. Volunteers will assist with portages around the Superior and Peninsular dams. There will be a rental fee (cash, check or credit card accepted) associated with the canoe trips.
For more information about Ypsilanti Fall River Day, including more detailed information (and pre-registration) for canoe trips, please visit http://www.ypsiparks.org.
Perhaps the most beautiful fall day ever for this year’s River Day, and James Mann’s talk on the “History of the Huron” was fascinating. (As James always is.)
For the record, not only was the artwork in Riverside Park completely repaired, but there is now another, different DIA work alongside the river-side trail in Frog Island, as well.
Thanks to everybody who helped to put this event on, and to everyone who attended.