Czech artist designs plastic kit... of Europe

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**Arctik_Firangi**

P4NC4K3 wrote:
my views

...

8) The Netherlands is symbolic of their simmering religious tensions

That's funny... that's almost exactly what Reuters said as well.

**Kilkrazy**

Frazzled wrote:Trying living in a society without them. I can easily live in a society without forced taxpayer supported art.

Yet others can't, while they can easily survive without government sponsored armed forces or lifeguards or primary education or speed cameras or drug tests or...

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Democracy is a terrible form of government whose only advantage is that all the others that have been tried were worse.

**Frazzled**

Sorry thats not correct KK.
*Without police and the courts there will be anarchy and much killy killy. Without government funded art, there will still be art.

**Kilkrazy**

In a democracy we are talking about what people want, rather than what actually happens.

**Frazzled**

This is true KK. I'm just looking at what could be spent in lieu of this piece of "art."

$510,000-thats what 10 Ferraris that could have been given to random people.

**reds8n**

True. BUt how much is the general discussion and bon homie worth ? I bet you, in the UK at least, we seea good 6 or so British artists being paid by papers etc to show what they would have done at a fraction of the cost. You can#t quantify everything in terms of £ and $ surely ?

Flags are just stupid bits of cloth, but what they can represent can be worth much more.

Mona Lisa is just some mardy arsed cow who can't smile, so we shouldn't preserve that then ?

I agree the sums given out here are somewhat ridiculous. But I'd imagine that most of that was spent in european hegemon... err... I n our bold experiment in the future of the world, so it had some affect,

**Destrado**

I think it's fine, thought if I'm not mistaken PT was that bit with meat over it. Not sure though.

France, I really like. I don't associate it with anything negative, just the May of '68.

Bulgaria could be offensive, but I'm not a bulgarian and I don't know what a toilet means to them. While Germany's piece is controversial, it's still emblematic. They are known for Mercedes, Porsche and World War 2 after all (note: being light-hearted here, I can completely understand any german user that's offended by it).

A curiosity about government funded-art; we once paid Manoel de Oliveira (probably the oldest movie maker in the world) a bucket load of money to make the portuguese version of "Snow White". I don't think anyone ever saw it, the movie shown in the cinemas only had audio. I mean, it had image... only black. For all we knew, it could've been the attack of the black bears on the black forrest at midnight in a starless, nightless night.

Oh yeah, that got the ink running alright.

**Miguelsan**

I like the idea. And as the money was going to be spent in something "promoting the european spirit" anyway (whatever that means at the Brussels Incompetent Politicians Club) it´s about time somebody made fun of the EU and our leaders.

I wish I could understand the whole thing tho, why Portugal and meat?

M.

PD: Frazzled, hush! Your are texan, you wouldn´t recognice art even if the art hits you on the head

**malfred**

Imagine a stereotyped art piece on the 50 states.

Illinois: a politician with money bulging from his pockets.

**JohnHwangDD**

IMO, it's no worse (offensive) than what we've done in the US.

And a lot more humourous.

Bravo!

**HoverBoy**

Miguelsan wrote: it´s about time somebody made fun of the EU and our leaders.

Leaders are always worh making fun of

**Frazzled**

On the positive, I was surprised Liechtenstein is an actual country. Thats probably mispelled but they are too small for me to care.

I've been making jokes all these years to find they are completely true.

**reds8n**

Frazzled wrote:On the positive, I was surprised Liechtenstein is an actual country.

You and everyone else in Europe.

**JohnHwangDD**

When you don't have glamourous types to promote like Monaco, I guess you end up as a "huh, really?" like Andorra or Lichtenstein.

**Phoenix**

All in all I found the piece to be rather humerous although it's very easy to see how it would be offensive to people. I do appreciate the ideal that it's a kit for building a model of the EU. I also like the implication that it's still on the sprew (and thus not actually put together yet). Still, I'm looking at it from the point of view of an outsider, so take it for what it's worth.

**Mannahnin**

My wife is going to be annoyed. She really likes Prague, too. But I guarantee Cerny has some new un-fans. I like the concept of the piece, but not so much the cheap shot at Bulgaria.

The squat toilets are something you’ll encounter at an old highway rest area in Bulgaria. I see it as a pretty shallow observation.

The place is still struggling to make it as a proper capitalist democratic society, struggling through issues with organized crime, government corruption, and a lot of old and worn infrastructure. Their economic difficulties have helped allow fascistic political elements like the Ataka party to grow.

They were so happy to join the EU, even though the EU required them to shut down a couple of their nuclear reactors, which hurt economically as they were no longer able to export as much electricity. My wife was visiting home for New Year’s when they officially joined, and while that’s usually their big holiday, the celebrations (right down to music and dancing in the streets) were over the top. People were so happy about the idea of being accepted as a partner into a larger, more progressive Europe.

Dumping on them like this really feels like picking on the small kid.

**JohnHwangDD**

So actually, the squat toilets *are* a proper metaphor for Bulgaria and it's backwardness. Bravo!

**Kilkrazy**

They have squat toilets in Japan.

They used to in Italy in the 80s, I don't know about now.

**JohnHwangDD**

What's really funny is the transition from squat toilets to sit toilets.

Like in China.

They have both in many places so that you don't have people squatting on the toilet seat...

**Frazzled**

Modmode on:Going to shut this thread down as its starting to attack various countries and the Liechtenstein Mafia is not impressed with our antics.
Mod Mode off:
So we'll leave you with a proper thought for the day