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Weymouth Relief Road sculpture - the £332,291 bill (From Dorset Echo)
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Weymouth Relief Road sculpture - the £332,291 bill
11:30am Thursday 23rd February 2012 in News By Laura Kitching
The Jurassic Stones sculpture at Littlemoor in Weymouth
STEEL poles supporting Weymouth’s controversial new sculpture make up almost half of its £332,291-price tag.
The Arts Council has provided the Dorset Echo with details of the Jurassic Stones budget, following a national outcry at the cost.
The Jurassic Stones have been funded as part of a cultural programme associated with the Olympics in Weymouth.
The total cost is lower than the £335,405 initially predicted.
The bulk of the budget for the sculpture, situated at the end of the relief road, near the Jurassic roundabout in Littlemoor, was spent on the £166,000 fabrication and installation of the stainless steel support poles.
Other big bills included £70,500 for the design and building of foundations, while the sculptor Richard Harris, who has been working on the creation since 2009, was paid £27,206, plus £3,000 travel costs.
Plus £19,150 engineering design fees cost, a £12,333 project management bill, £14,000 geotechnical survey and £12,235 for testing of stones and stone processing costs.
Echo website commentators have dubbed the creation ‘stones on sticks’, ‘mushrooms’ and a ‘waste of money’ but other borough residents have defended the artwork.
Littlemoor’s Sue Atyeo has paid homage to it with a mini version in her front garden in Reedling Close with her friend Nathan Snell.
Retired training consultant Sue, 58, said: “We just used some aluminium piping and stones from the local area drilled on top. It cost us about £40.
“People have stopped and admired them. They’ve chuckled really, there’s joviality about it.
“I think the cost of the big sculpture is justified because those poles don’t come cheap.
“People will say it could have been spent on something else but every town has got something.
“The sculptor actually used Jurassic rocks in honour of our Jurassic coast so that makes all the difference.”
Sunseeker worker Mr Snell, 29, said: “As supporters of the new and innovative ‘Stones on sticks’ sculpture by Richard Harris, my good friend Sue Atyeo and I have created our own version.
“We want to show our support to the council and others for this great yet controversial tourist attraction.”
Brian Hayter, owner of Littlemoor Hardware, said: “We love the Jurassic Stones.
“They’re fantastic although they should be illuminated.
“We’re fed up with people moaning about them, so we’re converting people.
“It’s funded by the Arts Council, not the borough council, the money would have been spent on something so why not here?
“Look at how much a Picasso or van Gogh costs. What about the Angel of the North?
“It’s going to last a lot longer than the Olympics.”
He added: “The design means the natural wildlife of the pond hasn’t been too affected.
“The best thing is they’re unlikely to be vandalised unless someone puts their waders on.”
costs breakdown
Costs associated with the Jurassic Stones sculpture (Figures supplied by the Arts Council):
Project management for both Richard Harris and artist Clare Barber, including artist selection costs and travel: £12,333
Engineering design fees: £19,150
Geotechnical survey and testing of stones: £14,000
Core drilling of stone for geotesting: £1,979
Stone scanning: £2,936
Engineering check of stones: £500
Stone processing for geotesting tests and engineering tests, moving them, erecting scaffold, tools, rubber pads etc: £12,235
Fabrication and installation of stainless steel part of sculpture: £166,000
Foundations: design and build: £70,500
Planning application fees: £1,190
Contingency left: £1,262
Artist travel: £3,000
Artist fee: £27,206
TOTAL: £332,291
Comments(31)
Share Truce
says...
12:04pm Thu 23 Feb 12
weymouthresident
says...
12:24pm Thu 23 Feb 12
What a complete and utter waste of money. How the hell does anyone think these will attract tourists? Would you travel somewhere to see some rocks on sticks?!!!!!
The money could have been better spent on so many other things. Wait until the sun shines and a motorist coming down the hill has an accident as he/she is blinded by the sun glinting off the poles. This nearly happened to a friend of mine recently.
scubadude
says...
12:25pm Thu 23 Feb 12
212 dorset
says...
12:28pm Thu 23 Feb 12
GMax
says...
12:37pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Share Truce wrote:I couldn't agree more with this comment.
The money should have gone to save the Portland helicopter, which saves lives !!!
.
GMax
212 dorset
says...
12:49pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Just because the money has been funded from another organisation, this does nt make it acceptable. Its a disgrace, and only right that there is a public enquiry into this blatant waste of money.
Monmouthsman
says...
12:55pm Thu 23 Feb 12
The picture above the article depicts the rocks and poles in as good a way as possible but it is taken from a viewpoint not normally accessible. The glimpses of them viewable from a vehicle navigating the roundabout may well prove to be a distraction cited as a factor in the causing of accidents.
Aside from the cost of steel the charges listed in the article are clearly far higher than any reasoned justification could substantiate. Who is to blame for this criminal misuse of public money?
Imagine what a visible and functional feature foot bridge could have been built over Weymouth Way for the same cost.
Dorsetdumpling
says...
1:27pm Thu 23 Feb 12
PLEASE tell me the supports were fabricated by a local firm??
Brian.H
says...
1:42pm Thu 23 Feb 12
wessex-andy
says...
1:59pm Thu 23 Feb 12
I think that the rest of us have been going out to work during that time.
£3,000 travelling expenses. Where does this guy come from -- the moon?
noooodles
says...
3:21pm Thu 23 Feb 12
darren1306
says...
4:28pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Rubberducktrucker
says...
6:43pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Grockler
says...
7:23pm Thu 23 Feb 12
intherain
says...
8:43pm Thu 23 Feb 12
portland rebel
says...
9:09pm Thu 23 Feb 12
LuanaJane
says...
9:27pm Thu 23 Feb 12
LuanaJane
says...
9:29pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Grockler wrote:I totally agree with you there. A world without art and creativity isn't a world at all.
They say art is a social/cultural reflection of society so it should be left alone as it is a statement of the times. True art has no price and time will define it.
LuanaJane
says...
9:32pm Thu 23 Feb 12
Desk24
says...
4:51am Fri 24 Feb 12
SILVERMAN
says...
7:43am Fri 24 Feb 12
LuanaJane wrote:The Arts Council is a publicly funded body. To simply say they have to do something with the money, completely misunderstands the feeling of the nation at this time of public cutbacks. If they will waste public money on structures such as this then it must be time to stop funding them from the public purse.
People should stop moaning about how much it's cost and how it's useless. It was funded by the ARTS COUNCIL. They have to do something with the money that have got to fund ART related projects around our area. And anyway, what is a world without art and creativity, colour and beauty? It isn't a world at all. Also, I like how the artist has done this. In my opinion the piece looks like those trees you see in africa, and it's nice that he has used rock from the local area.
irisred
says...
12:55pm Fri 24 Feb 12
I am very much a fan of art, of many varieites but this is a waste of public money, whichever bucket of money it came from.
I would like to be proved wrong, I'd like to believe that in 6 months time they won't be covered in birds mess and look unsightly... Shall just have to wait and see!
axzl32
says...
9:45am Sat 25 Feb 12
elvaquero
says...
11:25am Sat 25 Feb 12
Grockler wrote:In that case, what does that pile of what looks like giant dogs mess on sticks say about our society?? Socially I would say that it is evidence that we are a totally wasteful and uncaring society. We would rather waste horrendous amounts of money on a totally useless and ugly object rather than using that money to improve the lives of the many people are losing their jobs during this time of near recession. Culturally it probably says something about what you will expect to find when you actually get into Weymouth.
They say art is a social/cultural reflection of society so it should be left alone as it is a statement of the times. True art has no price and time will define it.
InterestedOutsider
says...
12:39pm Sat 25 Feb 12
Red Lady
says...
12:47pm Sat 25 Feb 12
I'm-Tired
says...
3:13pm Sat 25 Feb 12
Fred Kite
says...
2:09am Mon 27 Feb 12
jamie-c
says...
10:06am Mon 27 Feb 12
Surely with the current economic crisis and times of hardships, increasing energy costs and the general cost of just surviving, maybe the 322K would of been better of spent elsewhere? Like sorting out the financial mess this country is in.
The artist fee makes me laugh also, im seriously in the wrong proffession
marabout
says...
8:00pm Mon 27 Feb 12
I think this project needs to be audited...and this time properly !!!!!
Barry_Bonnet says...
12:02pm Thu 23 Feb 12