Friday, January 30, 2009

Middle Eastern Shoe Art Renaissance™ Enters Henry Moore Phase


Girls stand next to a sculpture of a shoe that serves as a monument to the shoes thrown at then-US president George W. Bush in Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009. The shoe-hurling last month at Bush spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world. Now, it's inspired a work of art. (AP Photo)


Fantastic! It's funny that the AP caption says "Now, it's inspired a work of art," because Pony Pals know that the shoe-tossing event started inspiring works of art mere moments after it occurred. The gigantic loafer is made of copper, so it should be an enduring symbol of Bush's folly for years to come. Some more info from AP:

A sofa-sized sculpture — a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth — was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.

Officials and visitors walked around the outdoor sculpture during the brief ceremony, pondering on its eccentricities — such as a tree poking up from the shoe's interior.

[...]

"This monument ... will remain a present for the forthcoming generations," said Fatin Abdul-Qadir al-Nasiri, director of a Tikrit orphanage whose children helped fashion the sculpture. "(They) will remember the story of the hero (al-Zeidi) who bid farewell to the U.S. president ... in such a way.


Yay! A public unveiling ceremony! AP also has video, but I must say that I'm totally baffled by the artist's statement that "It's not a political work." Whatever, I'm just thrilled that the Middle Eastern Shoe Art Renaissance has produced its first durable monument. Two sparkley hooves way up!

14 comments:

Matthew Hubbard said...

It's not political, because the guy is really into shoes, so much so that he even likes the ugly ones.

Lulu Maude said...

Nothing says commitment like a warm, metallic sheen.

Karen Zipdrive said...

I saw this on MSNBC last night and just knew you'd go for it.

Anonymous said...

Generations from now, someone is going to dig that up and think that the local people developed a shoe worshipping cult. There will be a whole slew of masters theses based on that statue.

Diane Griffin said...

My favorite part is that it's also a planter.

Anonymous said...

OZYMANDIAS
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

Anonymous said...

Fluxus Instructions for Middle Eastern Cultural Self-Respect Building Event:

1) Find the leader of a nation whose country has recently committed acts of military aggression against Middle Eastern civilians.

2) Establish a strong sense of righteous indignation on behalf of those who have been ill-treated.

3) Making sure that you are nearby this person, use your indignation to propel yourself into a non-violent or low-violent act that expresses extreme disrespect for this person. Suggestions: throw a shoe at his head, loudly call him a killer in front of a meeting of your mutual peers.

Peteykins said...

You're so right, Drew, that the whole Middle Eastern Shoe Art Renaissance does have, overall, a Fluxus feel to it.

Did Al Hansen ever do anything with shoes?

Unknown said...

This is the greatest thing on the internets. Princess Sparkle Pony is the inevitable product of American society.

Anonymous said...

Al Hansen & shoes? Not that I know of.

I "believe" (in the sense of, "I just totally made this up") that that John Cage had been known to occasionally throw wooden slippers at Hansen's head in response to Al's notorious maltreatment of pianos.

Anonymous said...

First the missing nose of The Great Sphinx of Giza and now the missing shoe.

It lasted but a day.

Oh dear oh dear.

Anonymous said...

if the Iraqis use their democracy similarly to Americans, then they will re-construct the shoe sculpture after U.S. forces leave (since the original is destroyed now) and make the new one twice as big

Karen Zipdrive said...

I hate to state the obvious, but that's a Bush in the giant shoe.

lorrwill said...

Bring back the shoe shrine!