A bronze statue depicting a mythological rape has finally found a new home at the mayor of Southend's official residence.This thing has migrated more often than a real swan! But what could possibly get the council workers so outraged about this (taxpayers might get upset at the cost of these moves, naturally…)?
The controversial statue of Leda and the Swan was specially commissioned by Southend Council in the Sixties and first stood outside the courthouse in Victoria Avenue.
Later it was moved to the Civic Square and then to the courtyard of the Palace Theatre, in Westcliff. Later, it was moved to the Civic Centre when it caused outrage among staff.
Workers claimed the statue, representing the rape of Leda by the Greek god Zeus disguised as a swan, glorified rape as an art form.Yeah, I had to read that twice too! Obviously, a classical education
is not a requirement for a Southend Council job. I suppose the ‘don’t be so bloody stupid!’ approach didn’t occur to them either?
Try as I might, I couldn’t find an image of the sculpture anywhere online, and it’s obviously far too scandalous for the ‘Echo’ to show. Still, the Mayor of Southend has come up with an innovative approach to this troublesome piece of art – take it home!
Rob Tinlin, Southend Council's chief executive and town clerk, said : "The statue of Leda and the Swan was located at the Civic Centre until a suitable location was found.I wonder how much that little fiasco cost the taxpayer..?
"The statue is permanently on display in the garden of the mayor's residence, Porters in Southchurch Road.
"It is in an appropriately landscaped area next to the pond."
"It is in an appropriately landscaped area next to the pond."
ReplyDeleteThe mind boggles. What form of landscaping do they consider to be an appropriate setting for a sculpture depicting a rape?
Heh! Beats me...
ReplyDeleteI think someone in the council PR department drew the short straw when talking to the 'Echo' over this.... :)
That is one of keeping the herons away
ReplyDeleteSo bloody utterly stupid and wholly typical of the incompetent money-wasting moronic goons who run Southend Council, who will always find a way to neglect doing what needs to be done (several important construction or reconstruction projects spring immediately to mind), instead deciding they'd better bung some money to their consultant mates to draw up an unrealisable programme that will have to be scrapped and replaced by another one drawn up by the same consultants. Ad infinitum.
ReplyDelete(And there is now a pic of hte statue on the Echo page: http://www.echo-news.co.uk/display.var.2350139.0.0.php?act=complaint&cid=1674843_
It's ugly, but far from the ugliest erection from the 1960s along Victoria Avenue
"there is now a pic of hte statue on the Echo page..."
ReplyDeleteYes, hideous isn't it? Someone commented on the paper that it ought to be sold for its scrap value. It's hard to disagree.
Just not for the barking mad 'reasoning' of the workers!
"It's ugly, but far from the ugliest erection from the 1960s along Victoria Avenue."
I hear the Civic Centre itself is not exactly a thing of beauty, except to fans of 60's concrete....