dayton is not in ohio

As I mentioned in my original post, the most interesting narratives to be explored at Cermak Plaza revolve around the objects that no longer exist. Of the two artifacts that I’m most interested in, Nancy Rubins’ “Big Bill-Bored” is the sculpture that kindled the most passionate public debate. It’s interesting that the commissioning of large public sculptures really began in the late 1950’s as a way of revitalizing America’s urban centers in the wake of the suburbanization of the late ’40s and early 50’s. It was this flight toward the suburbs that gave birth to shopping centers and, subsequently, where David Bermant made his mark. Then he went and started putting sculpture in his shopping centers. It seems that all but the most innocuous sculptures created a stir.

Installed in 1980, Rubins’ sculpture was the first one placed at Cermak Plaza. It looks like a giant inverted porkchop made from concrete, small appliances and other consumer goods. I think it’s significant to the concept that it looks like a piece of food. Rubins makes a nice statement about suburban consumption, but she makes it really big and right in the face of the suburbanites. Obviously, this is going to put a burr up the rear of people that are trying to create a safe, consumeristic enclave where conspicuous consumption is the rule.

So, David Bermant has a community referendum and also hires the Gallup organization to do a poll in Berwyn on whether the sculpture will stay or go. This, apparently, really ticks off Nancy Rubins who says that the scupture can only be destroyed if it is removed. This may seem obvious given the logistics of moving a 100-ton chunk of sculpture, but when you’re David Bermant and you just payed $25,000 dollars for the thing, you might want to keep it. This is probably why, after the poll came narrowly in favor of removal, David Bermant decided that the results were incomplete and elected not to remove Big Bill-Bored. Yeah, I hear Gallup runs a pretty crummy poll. Here’s a Chicago Tribune article, and another in the Berwyn community newspaper.

This did not change, however, the falling out between Mr. Bermant and Ms. Rubins. Here’s what David Bermant had to say about the work and their relationship: Click here to listen. Hilarious. There are not many people in the world he doesn’t like. But she’s one of them, and he’s not afraid to broadcast it.

The sculpture was removed in 1993. Apparently, the public eventually became apathetic toward the sculpture, but were more than glad to see it removed when it was no longer deemed structurally sound. If it was like any other Rubins’ sculpture I’m sure it never appeared structurally sound. I bet some city councilman seeking re-election told folks he’d tear it down if they voted for him, then had his cousin the engineer say that it was unsafe. Case closed.

Big Bill-Bored was replaced by Tempus Fugit in 1994. Created by Kristen Jones and Andrew Ginzel, Tempus Fugit was an interesting and useful rotating “town clock.” I actually kinda like this very straightforward, elegant piece.

I have no idea how long Tempus Fugit was installed before being replaced by the kitschy monstrosity that is The Helicopter by Steve Gerberich. I think that all of the citizens of Berwyn should be heavily taxed to pay for a replacement sculpture as punishment for not creating a public outcry about this piece of crap. Whether one likes the Nancy Rubins sculpture or not, I find it funny that if you take make something sophisticated and thought-provoking that looks like a piece of crap people hate it, but if you make an actual piece of crap that looks like a helicopter, people love it.

Cermak Plaza part III will be on the most interesting tragedy of all: Floating McDonalds. Stay tuned…