Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Tue, 28 Feb 1995 11:06:00 DST |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
The Enola Gay discussion was recently used as an example of a topic with a
special emphasis on US navel contemplation. Quite wrongly in my opinion.
Having followed the fate of the exhibition plans on the list was most
valuable when a discussion came up in this country over a project for the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II in
north-western Europe (the evening of May 4th).
An artist proposed that the main event should be a long laser beam along
our North Sea coast with installations placed on the old German coastal
fortifications constructed by the Wehrmacht during the war. The beam should
reach from the Scaw in the north to the German island of Sild in the south
and thus cross the boarder. In connection with this light show there should
be concerts and other events in towns along the laser line. She got the
money for the project from various public and private sources, but while
nobody seems to object seriously to the cost (equivalent of 3 million
dollars), hell broke loose over the project as such. Old resistance groups
started writing letters to the papers more or less explicitly threatening to
sabotage the project, and since then all newspapers have at least one full
page a day with letters to the editor condemning the project, attacking the
various funding agencies that gave the money etc., claiming that the project
is not politically acceptable for a great many (very) variable reasons. TV
has it on every day. Parliament discusses it..... should it be banned or
moved to another day, is that censorship, we cannot censor art but is such a
project art or what ...... why did the Art Foundation refuse to chip in and
why then did other agencies give money if it is not art - and so on.
Rather parallel to the Enola Gay situation in many ways, I would say. If
I had not followed that US discussion via the list, I might think that it
was only here people had gone crazy.
Kay W. Petersen
Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark
[log in to unmask]
|
|
|