This is a pretty cool story really but it’s hard to imagine how no one could have seen the artists at work. This had to have taken a while. This aboveground vent belongs to a former nuclear shelter in Prague that was used during the Cold War. The Folimanka Shelter used to be a state secret but now it’s been open to the public as a historical site. This vent however has stuck out for quite a while and no one has seemed to be able to figure out what to do with it until now. As landmarks go it’s definitely a bit of an eyesore since it doesn’t really fit into the landscape and sticks out like a sore, graffiti-ridden thumb.
But since it’s makeover it’s become something that people love to come and see. The famous robot R2-D2 is a welcome sight to those walking their dog and just strolling by. Even city officials can’t bring themselves to be displeased by it since the artwork is a very big improvement. Apparently the graffiti artists even went so far as to add two huge sections of concrete to simulate R2’s arms, completing the look and making a real masterpiece out of it. This project no doubt took a lot of vision and a lot of guts since while the city does happen to think it looks nice officials have gone on to state that they don’t condone graffiti artists at all. Somehow I don’t believe any city really does unless the artist in question has a certified commission stating that they can turn a part of the city into art.
Surprisingly this work went unnoticed for about a week or so. It’s also a little disheartening to think that it might not last since the site has already been taped off, which could mean anything really, but when it comes to a city it means that the work is going to be removed in some way. Honestly that would be tragic since this project is so awesome and it obviously took a long time and some serious planning to complete. I get the fact that artwork done on a public structure is usually not sanctioned but the idea of scrubbing the thing clean now and erasing that hard work is almost painful in a way. It’s like saying it was never meant to be so it can’t exist.
Obviously it doesn’t quite fit into the landscape but it is a lot better than a bare concrete vent that doesn’t do anything except stand there and look flat out ugly. At least someone had the imagination to bring something amazing into the world using something that was already there and waiting to be used as a canvas. That kind of ingenuity is what is needed in the world today in order to keep moving forward and using the things we have to create something spectacular. Unfortunately a lot of times if it doesn’t fit the needs or desires of the established order it doesn’t get to last.
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