Salt Lick Art
Image by A. Davey
You never know what you're going to see in the windows of Baker City's storefronts. Here are some of the entries in the 2009 "Great Salt Lick" contest. It may seem quirky, and it is, but the proceeds go to worthy charitable causes.
For you city slickers, in rural areas landowners put out large blocks of salt for livestock and game animals. Evidently, these species, unlike humans, don't get enough fast food or chips, so they need licks to make up for a salt deficiency in their diet.
Based on these partially-consumed salt blocks, I'd say the cattle and other animals who use the blocks are surprisingly methodical in their approach to licking the salt. It's also interesting there isn't a tooth mark in sight. I guess herbivores don't bite into rock-hard objects, and ain't that a large surprise.
From an artistic point of view, this year's contestants are displaying the sort of herd mentality we so deplore in artists, uniformly favoring that Mid-Century-Modern style that hip city dwellers can't seem to get enough of. That red block on the left would make a killer lamp base; just don't spill any drinks near it.
To learn more about the Great Salt Lick contest, go to www.whitdeschner.com/salt-lick-exp.html
Here's an excerpt from that site:
"The Great Salt Lick/Salt Lick City Contest started as a joke. There may have been a beer or two involved...
I was sitting on the porch of a friend’s cabin admiring the shape of a salt lick the deer had worked on and I began thinking that it sure beat some of the sculptures in parks and in front of buildings. You know the ones—the boulders with a chip knocked out of them masquerading as art that some artist has been paid a six-figure sum for.
Not only were the animals creating these blocks not getting paid, but they were being eaten. In any case the idea of a contest formed and one thing led to another..."
I have a suggestion I hope will be met with support and great enthusiasm. Do we really want to see all these non-human artists labor in anonymity only to have their careers cut short by - well, I don't need to paint the rest of the picture, do I? Of course not.
So I propose forming a Bovine Artists Collective Alliance (BACA) and devoting part of each year's contest proceeds to emancipating one of the cows whose work was entered into the show. That way, Bessie could live out her days in the pasture with full tenure, free to realize her full creative potential, mentor up-and-coming salt-block workers, and take sabbaticals at other farms as livestock artist-in-residence.
Food Market Loading Dock_web
Image by PHOTO/arts Magazine
First picture of 2011
Drink n' food
Image by Gaël LE HIR
Nikon D90 - 18-105
www.flickr.com/photos/glh_pictures/
September 5th - Special Delivery
Image by Mr.Tea
Back in Canterbury again, but permanently this time. Dad borrowed the Yaris so we could get all my stuff down here in one go, and I just have to get everything sorted out with the house now.
Intro. Baking: Chocolate Souffle
Image by DocGeek
Day two of custards. This DID puff out a good inch over the rim, but I forgot to take a picture of it before it completely collapsed.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar