Talus Dome artist strikes back at Edmonton critics
By Timothy Gerwing
EDMONTON — One of the artists behind a new piece of public art near the Quesnell Bridge says Edmontonians are small-minded to question the cost of the sculpture.
Benjamin Ball, a Los Angeles-based artist, was commissioned by the city of Edmonton to produce the giant, abstract model — a fusion of multi-sized silver balls in a pyramidal shape, at a cost of $600,000.
“The price of the project is a bargain,” said Ball. “Public art is expensive as hell.”
Ball created the Talus Dome with his creative partner, Gaston Nogues. The project, located near the Whitemud on-ramp, has since come under fire.
“I’m not a fan and I haven’t met anybody who is,” said Jeff Larbalestier, a retiree who regularly walks his dogs below the hill the Talus Dome sits on. “The cost bothers me, and it doesn’t seem to aggrandize the conflict that art should have — like how people loved and hated the Eiffel Tower at once. Everyone in the area I know dislikes it.”
Artists and architects Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues won an open competition by submitting a scaled down version of the Talus Dome to the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council. Photograph by Timothy Gerwing
Ball dismissed cost critics as “absurd” and accused them of harbouring “small-town” attitudes toward public art projects — an argument Larbalestier rejected.
“I was a teacher,” said Larbalestier. “I’ve travelled all over the world, and I have beautiful art in my home. I just don’t think it’s good art.”
Ball said that anyone who has an issue with the cost should contact a local fabricator, and get informed.
“It’s not about art,” said Ball. “It’s about the cost of producing things, and the average person has no concept. We’ve never experienced people upset at the cost of our art, except in Edmonton.”
The city allocates one per cent of capital spending to public art in the case of any major capital project, in this case the Quesnell Bridge, said John Mahon, executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC).
He also said that there’s no need for anyone to be upset that American artists did the work, because Edmonton artists are entering and winning art competitions around the world. Ball and Nogues won the right to build the Talus Dome after entering and winning an open competition where they submitted a scaled-down model of the project to the city.
Mahon also disagrees that Edmontonians have a small-town attitude toward public art.
“This public art controversy is common in most cities,” said Mahon. “There’s a group of citizens who don’t think about what things cost, who don’t think beyond their specific needs.”
Mahon said that one per cent capital spending on art is standard across the continent.
“It’s not coming from the operating budget — police, fire, potholes,” said Mahon. “It’s a totally different stream of money.”
Mahon believes that art spending is worth it.
“I don’t think I want to live in a city that’s strictly functional,” said Mahon. “Who wants to live there?”
The Talus Dome has been vandalized with purple spray paint in several places since its creation. Ball said that’s to be expected, and it isn’t a concern for him.
“I think that public art is always a lightning rod for people’s feelings,” said Ball. “A lot of pieces endure that. There’s not much you can do. It’s more likely in Edmonton, because I don’t think a smaller city has as much experience with public art.”
The EAC would be responsible for cleanup and future conservation of the Talus Dome.
Mahon hopes Edmontonians who dislike the project will come to love the piece and its objective of beautifying a barren space.
“Americans hated the Statue of Liberty when it first showed up,” said Mahon.
Small town Edmontonians huh? Man I love it when Americans say that. Listen here Mr. Ball, my issue is this:
“Ball and Nogues won the right to build the Talus Dome after entering and winning an open competition where they submitted a scaled-down model of the project to the city.”
Why wasn’t this “open competition” more transparent to Edmontonians. Either I’m not doing a good job of paying attention to these things or this wasn’t really made known to Edmontonians at all. Be more transparent. God forbid we have a say in the process. Put the Top 5 designs online and let the public vote for what they want. It is ‘Public Art’ is it not? The Internet has built so many bridges for the city to communicate with its citizens on issues just like this (The Royal Alberta Museum designs).
Really ?? Small minded I think not ! The problem is “art” is totally subjective. I wonder if the price tag of the other ideas was of a smaller figure ? Where was this thing built and how many LEED points did it garnish for the Project ?