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The Greenway gets fierce

By adamg on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:17am
Animal heads on the Rose Kennedy Greenway

Adam Castiglioni watched the installation of a snarling dog head and other animal heads on the Rose Kennedy Greenway this morning; part of a work by Ai Weiwei that represents the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac (H/t Allstonian for that info).

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Comments

By Scumquistador on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:18am.

an excellent bust of charlie barker

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By mplo on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:24am.

Interesting installation there!

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By Scumquistador on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:29am.

but it could use a manticore or gorgon or something

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By Allstonian on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:44am.

It being the Chinese zodiac, there's a dragon in the set.

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By Scumquistador on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:51am.

is it a bone dragon or a black dragon?

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By Allstonian on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:29am.

It's a work by Ai Weiwei depicting the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Here's some info about it:

Internationally acclaimed Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei has reinterpreted the twelve bronze animal heads representing the traditional Chinese zodiac that once adorned the famed fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, an imperial retreat in Beijing. Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads is the artist's first major public sculpture project.

Designed in the 18th century by two European Jesuits serving in the court of the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong, the twelve zodiac animal heads originally functioned as a water clock-fountain, which was sited in the magnificent European-style gardens of the Yuanming Yuan. In 1860, the Yuanming Yuan was ransacked by French and British troops, and the heads were pillaged. In re-interpreting these objects on an oversized scale, Ai Weiwei focuses attention on questions of looting and repatriation, while extending his ongoing exploration of the 'fake' and the copy in relation to the original.

http://www.zodiacheads.com/about_exhibit_bronze.html

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By ECG nli on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 5:03pm.

If you are interested at all in these heads, definitely go to this site and watch the short video! Thanks for posting this link, Allstonian.

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By anon on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:37am.

canine PEZ dispensers

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By Equis on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 2:24pm.

I am all for visual art, but putting statues up that are reminiscent of the Pagan Gods made famous in the movie The Ten Commandments in the middle of Passover is both insensitive to those of the Jewish faith, but also awfully scary looking for the children's fountain on the Greenway.
That should be a place for playful characterizations of non-scary animals that reinforce the playfulness and innocence that is intended by the oscillating fountain.
A Zodiac display, if that's what it is, belongs somewhere else.
Ed (not Jewish) in Boston

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By Scumquistador on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 3:13pm.

holy shit stfu

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By bibliotequetressnotloggedin... on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 3:43pm.

.

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By Schorschico on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 4:39pm.

I totally agree with you.

Also, now that you mention the Zodiac and since we are in the middle, not only of Passover, but also of the election cycle, it is so clearly associated with one of the Republican candidates that, in my opinion, it breaks electoral law.

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By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 9:31pm.

Translation: It bugs me, and I know that is unreasonable, so I'll make up something about it being bad for or scaring children.

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By Daan on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 11:33pm.

Cecil B. DeMille's characterization of Pagan Gods (all thousands of them around the world, including those the Egyptians could not know) really annoyed the Dieties when he used his second 10 Commandments religious epic to make them look like bad guys. Pagan gods are cool; they don't go demanding human sacrifice or father's to kill their sons (well, maybe a few do, but just a tiny per centage). And making their sons sacrifice themselves? That's a pretty mean thing for a Dad to do.

I think kids will be cool. These are not fire breathing, snot dripping Cerberus breath live heads. They just statues.

Ra (not pagan) in Boston

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By lbb on Tue, 04/26/2016 - 9:25am.

putting statues up that are reminiscent of the Pagan Gods made famous in the movie The Ten Commandments in the middle of Passover is both insensitive to those of the Jewish faith

So, because these statues (or what you've seen of them in a photograph" resemble "the Pagan Gods[sic] made famous in the movie The Ten Commandments" to your fevered imagination, you're claiming offense on the part of Jews, even though you are not one yourself? Please find me an actual living breathing Jew who makes this same association, do.

also awfully scary looking for the children's fountain on the Greenway

As a kid, I would have loved these statues. I predict that actual living breathing children will find them very cool, will play on and around them, will want their pictures taken with them. But that's just my opinion. You are free to find actual living breathing children who scream in terror and run from these statues. I suggest looking for them in the same place you plan to find Jews who glimpse the statues and thunder, "Pagan idolatry!"

A Zodiac display, if that's what it is, belongs somewhere else.

It's public art and it belongs exactly where it is.

tl;dr: you're a ninny.

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By Clyz on Wed, 04/27/2016 - 5:08pm.

@equis
Do some research first, the story behind it is actually quite compelling: having do to with the looting and pillaging of Chinese temples and cultural appropriation.
http://www.zodiacheads.com/about_exhibit_bronze.html

Clyz (litterate) in Boston

ps. the 18th century originals were made by Jesuits - #themoreyouknow

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By Sock_Puppet on Mon, 04/25/2016 - 3:18pm.

Those are way, way too scary.

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