The proposed statue of a blue boy with a shark in his arms on top of the lighthouse pedestal will be positioned at the stamp landing, along Vancouver’s waterfront at the end of this month provided neighbors agree on the plan.
A resident stated that beauty is subjective and the statue, in her opinion, in somewhat scary to look at. The resident added that it isn’t something that one is likely to wake up in the morning and want to look at.
Condo proprietors on both sides of the area the statue will be stationed informed local media that the art, dubbed boy holding a shark, that is the work of Chen Wenling, is excessively large, and might obstruct their view. They added that it will also disturb their peace by bringing in both foot and bicycle traffic to the neighborhood.
Neighbors launched a petition in the hope that the city’s staff will heed their plea and scrap the idea.
A curator, Barrie Mowatt, who said that neighbors in the areas have a tendency to find installations ugly, as has been the case in the last two decades, suggested that the neighborhood seems misinformed about the blue boy. He added that if they give it a chance, it will grow on them as was the case in English Bay where the people started off by hating the Laughing Men, but now love it.
A descriptive placard on the statue caught the attention of many passers-by who said they love the idea of a blue boy.
Brent Restivo, a resident of Granville Island, said that since a lot of people have come to the area to capture pictures of the statue, it is effective as a piece of art.
Plans to have the statue set up in the neighborhood are in the pipeline, and once approved, Stamps Landing will have a blue boy for the best two years.
