Sensational-Adelaide.com

pushbutton wrote:I'm not offended by nude statues, as long as they're tasteful and not pornographic, but I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

"Look what they have in the main shopping street in Adelaide - PIGS!"

Oh dear, oh dear. Is that really the best we can offer?

Adelaides biggest problem is being far too concerned with what other people think. It's a neurotic combination of wanting to pull off big things that everyone will talk about while at the same time being too scared to trying anything different in case people talk about it.

Stop being so bloody insecure.

The pigs, while not the best art installation, are well done and do add to the character of the mall.

Stumpjumper, I have to disagree about the supermarket, I always bought good from woolworths when it was open, was in there usually a couple of times a week if not more. It is extremely convenient to purchase items for work, or on the way home for dinner (for example that one ingredient you always need...).

pushbutton wrote:I'm not offended by nude statues, as long as they're tasteful and not pornographic, but I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

"Look what they have in the main shopping street in Adelaide - PIGS!"

Oh dear, oh dear. Is that really the best we can offer?

I think your post sums up our inferiorirty complex as a city. Many cities in the world have similar works of public art, and I doubt anyone says that those cities are backwards. Furthermore, you are exxagerating the situation. The pigs in the mall are not the best we can offer, indeed, no-one has said anything of the sorts. The pigs are not featured in any tourism publication as an attraction. They are just a piece of humorous public art. Nothing more.

Will wrote:

pushbutton wrote:I'm not offended by nude statues, as long as they're tasteful and not pornographic, but I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

"Look what they have in the main shopping street in Adelaide - PIGS!"

Oh dear, oh dear. Is that really the best we can offer?

I think your post sums up our inferiorirty complex as a city. Many cities in the world have similar works of public art, and I doubt anyone says that those cities are backwards. Furthermore, you are exxagerating the situation. The pigs in the mall are not the best we can offer, indeed, no-one has said anything of the sorts. The pigs are not featured in any tourism publication as an attraction. They are just a piece of humorous public art. Nothing more.

Fair point, maybe I was exaggerating, just trying to make a point. Point being that I do actually find that embarrassing. I realise it's not meant to be the best SA has to offer, but I have seen people taking photos of them and those thoughts do go through my head when I see it, rightly or wrongly.

pushbutton wrote:

Will wrote:

pushbutton wrote:I'm not offended by nude statues, as long as they're tasteful and not pornographic, but I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

"Look what they have in the main shopping street in Adelaide - PIGS!"

Oh dear, oh dear. Is that really the best we can offer?

I think your post sums up our inferiorirty complex as a city. Many cities in the world have similar works of public art, and I doubt anyone says that those cities are backwards. Furthermore, you are exxagerating the situation. The pigs in the mall are not the best we can offer, indeed, no-one has said anything of the sorts. The pigs are not featured in any tourism publication as an attraction. They are just a piece of humorous public art. Nothing more.

Fair point, maybe I was exaggerating, just trying to make a point. Point being that I do actually find that embarrassing. I realise it's not meant to be the best SA has to offer, but I have seen people taking photos of them and those thoughts do go through my head when I see it, rightly or wrongly.

Well art is meant to be controverisal, so in a way it is good that you don't like them. Furthermore, from the photos I've seen of my overseas colleagues with the pigs, it is safe to say that people take photos of them, or to be more exact, what they are doing with them. (and no, not all things are sexual in nature).

The pigs are brilliant. Just the sort of honest, simple, whimsical public art that isn't often found these days - so much is hilariously abstract, with such depth of (intended, and probably completely missed) meaning that the humble passer-by cannot possibly fathom how so many bent bits of scrap metal in every single city of the world can represent so many different things. Mind you, there are some brilliant bent bits of scrap metal to be found, too, but I think there's plenty of room in the public art world for a bit of sentimentality.

And I can assure everyone that the pigs are by no means the first art installations in Adelaide to fall victim to the attentions of virile drunken youth.

pushbutton wrote:

Will wrote:

pushbutton wrote:I'm not offended by nude statues, as long as they're tasteful and not pornographic, but I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

"Look what they have in the main shopping street in Adelaide - PIGS!"

Oh dear, oh dear. Is that really the best we can offer?

I think your post sums up our inferiorirty complex as a city. Many cities in the world have similar works of public art, and I doubt anyone says that those cities are backwards. Furthermore, you are exxagerating the situation. The pigs in the mall are not the best we can offer, indeed, no-one has said anything of the sorts. The pigs are not featured in any tourism publication as an attraction. They are just a piece of humorous public art. Nothing more.

Fair point, maybe I was exaggerating, just trying to make a point. Point being that I do actually find that embarrassing. I realise it's not meant to be the best SA has to offer, but I have seen people taking photos of them and those thoughts do go through my head when I see it, rightly or wrongly.

It's still the insecurity complex though, you see someone taking a photo and assume it is so they can record the failure and mock it later. Whereas in reality it is people seeing something that makes them giggle for a moment and taking a photo which they will promptly forget about. If they do remember it will be a happy memory of at least that moment in Adelaide being fun. To summarise, people taking photos of them is a GOOD THING.

The Mall's Pigs are exactly what we should want for our public art - something that is curious yet accessible. The new Roy Rene statue down Hindley Street is much the same. These are things which actually make our public spaces more enjoyable.

SRW wrote:The Mall's Pigs are exactly what we should want for our public art - something that is curious yet accessible. The new Roy Rene statue down Hindley Street is much the same. These are things which actually make our public spaces more enjoyable.

Agree 100%. The pigs are great, and the Roy Rene staue, life-size and right on the footpath, is just brilliant. More like these, please!

Lol, when George saw my post he said, "Uh-oh, Queenie's got her petulant voice on.." I think my reaction reveals that I was probably feeling a bit silly I've been thinking about this, and you might be right that I'm overreacting about the idea of covering the mall (though it's still not an option that excites me, personally).

While I was living in America I read a book called, Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown. It contained examples where American cities and towns had opted for large building projects as the answer to their downtowns' problems (including plopping suburban style shopping centres downtown). Often, these projects did not work well, and it made me realise that any place can be 'that stupid'. Scary stuff. But would we in Adelaide, in 2010, really be that simple? I think I hit the panic button there, and was imagining something much worse for the mall than other people on here are.

I thought it was a bit out of character for you!

I understand your concerns about shopping centres (they suck one and all and if anyone knows of one that doesn't, I'd love to be privy to it!). But the Mall is much more than that (at least potentially). In fact it is the counterpoint to the shitful suburban shopping experience I reckon. I can see an awesome redevelopment in my mind; architecturally and artistically interesting, with covered spaces and without. A place that is a joy to be in. Of all Malls in Oz, Rundle Mall is closest to this already and can easily be transformed from the slightly depressing emo attractor it seems to be now. It is a street after all, rather than a "complex".

It's good to know people ARE thinking about these things outside of school. Onya Queenie!

I am embarrassed when I'm in Rundle Mall and I see the very few tourists we actually get in Adelaide taking photos of pig statues eating rubbish out of bins. I can only imagine how they're friends laugh at Adelaide when they see the photos back in Japan.

Jesus Howard Christ. This is just old school Australian (and particularly South Australian) cultural cringe. Surely if tourists are taking pics of them THAT'S A GOOD THING????? Yes there aren't many photo ops in Adelaide, but to be embarrassed by the ones the place has is pretty lame.

Pigs and rubbish aren't the problem here. This is indicative (as others have pointed out here) of an Adelaide mindset that can only continue to hold it back.

Can you suggest what you would prefer??? Statue of Bob Francis, fallen naked out the back of his house after going for a pee and waiting for an ambulance? That WOULD be funny, I guess.

I suggest that the discussion generated here by the pigs, naked or not, confirms their effectiveness.

Do you suppose that Pisans get embarrassed at the number of tourists doing the mandatory "Oops! I pushed it over" photo of the tower? Are they cringing at the sight of tourists with cameras and saying to themselves "we should just straighten the damn thing up"?

Good analogy Prince george.

My only problem with the pig art is that so many people don't realise that the rubbish bin is not an actual bin, but part of the sculpture, and keep throwing rubbish in it!

rhino wrote:My only problem with the pig art is that so many people don't realise that the rubbish bin is not an actual bin, but part of the sculpture, and keep throwing rubbish in it!

yes! i've seen that happen on a couple of occasions - lol

Copenhagen has a tiny, tiny little statue that is world renowned. Just a naked broad on a rock. Just sayin...