Web of intrigue as artist told to remove her Arcade cobweb
Friday 21st August 2009, 2:29PM BST.
Fab Martin has been told to remove her cobweb street art creation.
A YOUNG artist has been ordered to remove a spider web she created outside an empty shop.
Fab Martin, 20, made the web out of elastic bands in the doorway of the Arcade store, next to Toni and Guy Hairdressers.
Miss Martin was initially given permission to install the work by estate agent Martel Maides, which is trying to let the property.
But, just days after it was created, the company has changed its mind.
‘I’m very annoyed,’ said the artist, who works as a barmaid. ‘I asked permission to put it up and they said if the time came when they told me to take it down, I would have to.’
She has been creating spider webs for some time and wanted to introduce street art to Guernsey.
Martel Maides commercial director Nick Renny said he had asked her to remove it because someone was trying to make a political issue out of it.
‘I don’t want to embarrass my client, or anybody else,’ he said. For every supporter, there will be 200 who think it’s horrible.’
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Perhaps someone watched the movie Arachnophobia and got scared when they walked past?
I appreciate that art is by nature subjective but I must confess to being somewhat confused that a fake cobweb can be defined as art….looks more like something you’d buy from the local joke shop!
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come on ‘political view’ have we come to the point that now with the ability to speak and create that man kind no longer is able to share that with each other, How long has this shop been like that, i don’t look at it anymore i turn away and look at the other shops maybe this will bring some attention to it and in time a shop or cafe what ever, People get out there live bring art outside lets encourage passion and public spirit.
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Pesky kids! Bring back the birch!
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Art plays an important part in our society in many ways. I am sure that the artist had good reason to erect her masterpiece in the doorway of a run down shop. The artist loves her work, and rightly so. All pieces of art no matter how stupid they may appear (city built out of staples) are statements. Nevertheless, surely with the increase in art shops this would have been a better place to display this amazing web.
I must confess I deplore the bronze ‘things’ that are erected in certain locations at Castle Cornet. I see this as defacing an historical building and not in keeping with its surroundings. Mind you, when is defacing an historical building not defacing an historical building. If one looks at the Swan Inn (which is listed inside and out) the main listed window in the front was removed (allegedly smashed) and replaced with a plain piece of glass with the understanding this was a temporary measure until the listed window was repaired, but that was near on 3 yrs ago and still nothing. One can therefore conclude that some can deface an historical building and some cannot. It is the old old Guernsey saying ‘it’s who you know and not what you know’ that matters.
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ART ! what is artistic about it? it certainly brings your attention to the tatty shop front though.
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i think its pretty neat, makes a good statement about the recession and our values i think
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“All pieces of art no matter how stupid they may appear (city built out of staples) are statements.”
Although not true in this case as the young lady got permission, I believe such language has been used to justify graffiti. Look at the case of the lad who spray painted “Isolation” over the island – I’m sure he could argue he was making a statement too!
Incidentally – isn’t it interesting that those “Isolation” daubs are still visible across the island? They caught the guy who did it, why hasn’t he been made to clean it up?
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PS Maybe she’s making the political statement that town shops are left empty for so long due to high rentals costs that they are gathering cobwebs? If that’s the case, put it back I say!
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Quite agree with Bert,
especially that biggest joke of all time, at castle Cornet.
I suppose those that did it likes playing with their ‘Tin Soldiers.’
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@Neil/Paul Le P etc
From Wikipedia – Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings.
She (Fab Martin) said in the full article that she felt discouraged by having to take it down. I hope she doesn’t.
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Neil, what may be art to me may not be art to you. My wife and I, along with our little boy were walking through Mill St yesterday and there were two people spray-painting the boarded up window of one of the building up there. Now they would have called their finished master peice art but to my wife and I it was graffiti.
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Don’t worry Dean, these arty types are quite an emotional bunch. Besides, now that we’ve defined this masterpiece as art, it’s worth noting that no piece of artwork is universally appealing – it’s all a matter of opinion. Take this particular work – the young lady evidently thinks it’s a piece of art, I think it would look more at home in a joke shop or as a prop for the long-awaited Hollywood sequel to Arachnophobia.
Most of us get discouraged at some point in our lives so I’m sure she’ll get over it. Besides, she could look on the bright side – her masterpiece got put on public display, albeit for a short time – that’s more recognition than many budding artists get.
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After all, that shop front is a delight for all to see isn’t it?
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Usuallyacynic – Absolutely!! I love the juxtaposition of the empty chip cartons, vomit and smell of urine against the conformity of the plywood panels. Is this a homage to Tracey Emin?
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I really like it :]
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Hi all.
Must admit I havent seen it for myself but looking at the picture its very clever. Certainly not lude or in bad taste, unlike the Castle Cornet ‘art’!
Ok, the statues are very clever but did they really have to be so ‘happy’?
Great welcoming for people visiting from the cruise ships huh!!!?!
GD.
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I thought it was pretty cool. Shame the property managers bottled it when they got leaned on.
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this is ridiculous on the part of Martel Maides, this shop is an eye sore and has been for years, adding the spider webs makes the building look a little more interesting and would be encouraged on the mainland. might i suggest that Martel Maides and the owners of this run down eye sore ask for a suitable rent for this property instead of an over inflated price, that way at least it could be made to look presentable and the owners would be getting some form of return on their property that they are obviously not getting at the moment.
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How is this a story? It’s all there in the article – she asked permission, they said yes on condition that if they ask her to take it down, she would. That time came, they asked her to take it down and now she’s offended by that? Crazy.
(Sidenote: Paul Le P – have you got any info on that isolation graffiti thing? I’ve seen those around the island and always wondered what they were about.)
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Perhaps if Fab’s parents had been more aquainted with rubber, we wouldn’t be worried about the webs she weaves?
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Pah – check out http://www.thisisguernsey.com/2007/09/14/graffiti-artist-blames-a-college-of-fe-tutor/
Interestingly enough, the lad in question had to pay £2,000 for the cleaning bill – nearly 2 years ago. I wonder why the grafitti hasn’t been cleaned up?
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That is interesting.
Also it says he painted it 39 times around the island, but only admitted 33 counts of criminal damage. The other 6 were what?
In my book his 18 hours “attendance” would have been best spent cleaning up what he did.
(Although I quite like them.)
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What a lot of fuss over nothing. If I was still in Guernsey I would buy the shop and become a local internet provider. What a fantastic WEB SITE.
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Pah
The ‘isolation’ guy stencilled the word in black paint on grey or green electricity boxes
He admitted 33 offences but how many did he stencil on black boxes and get away with ?
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