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The true cost of Skywhale and do you want to pay it? [With poll]
johnboy 10 May 2013 10 May 2013 84
The Liberals Jeremy Hanson is working up his outrage at the true cost of Skywhale.
In a Public Accounts Committee hearing today, it was revealed the true costs to the ACT for the Skywhale for the Centenary of Canberra will be $300,000. ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson asked today why again it is only after questioning by the opposition and the media that the full truth is uncovered.
"In a week that Katy Gallagher called for a doubling of ACT politicians, this $300,000 extravagance again shows out of touch the ACT Government is with Canberrans' priorities.
"It was also revealed during the committee hearing that whilst Canberra taxpayers will pay $300,000 for the hot air balloon, it is not actually owned by the Territory and has a design life of only 100 flights, with only one of those flights planned for Canberra so far.
"Whilst we respect the artist, it would have been nice to see something that that is visually more symbolic to the ACT and better represents our 100 year birthday," concluded Mr Hanson.
Meanwhile the CanMeme guys and girls have been having a field day:
As luck would have it in this Brumby free week we reviewed Whale Ale in this week's rugby podcast in case you've not had enough of all things Cetacean.
And now to the poll:
The Skywhale
We paid how much for this?
It's awesome!
UPDATE: And with thanks again to CanMeme we should note the Canberra launch of the controversial beast will be at 9am tomorrow morning (Sat 11 May)
Further Update: Enjoy twitter's take through #skywhalemyths .
Tweets about "#skywhalemyths"
Tags Canberra 100 canmeme centenary of canberra skywhale
84 Responses to The true cost of Skywhale and do you want to pay it? [With poll]
Showing only Website comments
caf 7:48 pm 10 May 13
vaguely said :
How is the current evolutionary state whales going back into the sea? I guess that is the relevance, all those Minke whales getting beached on the shores of LBG.
Life evolved in the ocean. Mammals evolved on the land. Whales are mammals (that's what the big boobs are all about), and they live in the ocean.
Dick Tracy 7:41 pm 10 May 13
It's a bit rich for the owner / operator with 338,000 reasons in his back pocket to be marshalling supporters for the CT poll on his FaceBook page(www.facebook.com/GlobalBallooning) !
OpenYourMind 7:17 pm 10 May 13
I felt that unease when I first saw it, but the more I see of Skywhale, the more I like it. Have a look at the artist's other work. Not always aesthetically pleasing, but wonderfully challenging. The fact that Government normally makes so many boring 'safe' decisions, that this art can make it through the red tape and make it out the other side with boobs still attached says something.
Masquara 7:10 pm 10 May 13
$300,000 for ONE flight? And we don't own it for a collection, or future outings? I actually LOVE the sculpture, but this is outrageous! Where does the cost come from, given that the sculpture will in fact be good for 100 flights? That's $30 million for the lucky company down south, folks! (VERY interested to know how the tender process was managed ……….. )
Diggety 5:43 pm 10 May 13
Apparently it was made from all the plastic bags that Canberrans were too naughty to use.
So dereliqued right now.
BelcoMan 5:32 pm 10 May 13
CanberraMelon said :
I love that the Skywhale is generating so much interest….the more people talk about it, the better the legend of the Skywhale becomes!
Discussion doesn't make it any less s***.
It's a piece of art…challenge yourself and take a step outside your comfort zone
Then you, and the other 2 people who like it, pay for it!
The continuing ability of the pollies to not understand the difference between people laughing at us rather than with us, still astounds me.
EvanJames 5:31 pm 10 May 13
poetix said :
Cetaceous floater
chewing soft cud of sky krill
blubbered cumulus
No no, that's Kim Kardashian in her sofa cover.
vaguely 5:17 pm 10 May 13
Ben_Dover said :
Anyone seen "The DarK Crystal"?
Do I detect a certain similarity to this "original" work of "art"?
Needs more tits.
Ben_Dover 5:07 pm 10 May 13
Philanthropic funding of $50,000 – provided by the Aranday Foundation
phi·lan·thro·py
1. altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.
FAIL!!!
So not only do we have this alleged art insulting our intelligence and taste, but it's bringing the usual barrage of meaningless arty-farty cliché' out of the closet to.
harley 4:57 pm 10 May 13
I want my dollar back.
bikhet 4:55 pm 10 May 13
FXST01 said :
Agh, there she blows.
Blows alright!
That should be sucks!
grunge_hippy 4:51 pm 10 May 13
The artist was on radio this morning, she actually kinda made sense and is pleased with the "discussion" around it and justified its existence quite articulately….
but mind you, I hadn't had my morning coffee….
but of course all of this discussion and outrage is gonna make everyone go and look at it, which is what they want.
Also, if challenging myself means listening to this drivel, I'd rather not:
"My question is what if evolution went a different way and instead of going back into the sea, from which they came originally…"
How is the current evolutionary state whales going [i]back[/i] into the sea? I guess that is the relevance, all those Minke whales getting beached on the shores of LBG.
rosscoact 4:30 pm 10 May 13
shauno said :
An orange whale with huge tits what on earth has that got to do with Canberra or any where else for that matter.
If that is not the most accurately observed analogy for Canberra that I've ever seen I don't know what is.
It works on every possible level.
FXST01 4:27 pm 10 May 13
54-11 4:26 pm 10 May 13
It's not just some random piece of art, it's meant to be a celebration of 100 years of Canberra.
It look's like a failed attempt at making a Gang Gang Cockatoo (something that is relevant), they looked at it and though 'Needs more tits'.
I'm not upset about the amount spent on it, I'm upset that the celebration of 100 years of Canberra has little to do with Canberra.
Jethro 4:18 pm 10 May 13
c_c™ said :
In case you didn't see the CT article, not, the government doesn't. Artist owns all rights.
I've come around to the whale. My first reaction was a big WTF, but it's definitely grown on me.
However, this is where I have issues. If it is taxpayer funded public art it should belong to the public. The fact that the artist owns it, yet we will be the ones funding its flights outside of Canberra seems to me a fairly odd arrangement.