The Facts Are Not in Dispute

April 11, 2023 3:28 PM

Man who became trapped inside Edmonton public art charged with mischief

It's William Gaddis' world, we just live in it.

Szyrk V. Village of Tatamount Et Al. [New Yorker]
Proof of "Szyrk v. Village of Tatamount et Al." by William Gaddis [Washington University of St. Louis]

Related: They thought a painting in their TV room was a fake. It sold for $850K. [Washington Post; ungated]

posted by chavenet (56 comments total)

Oh god, this isn't Steve Wallis on a stealth camping trip, is it? Hunker down and enjoy some step twos in that thing, brother!!
posted by NoMich at 3:52 PM on April 11, 2023 [6 favorites]

Man who became trapped inside Edmonton public art charged with mischief [more inside]

Were they also charged?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:53 PM on April 11, 2023 [42 favorites]

Klaver said he's admired the shiny chrome exhibit for years and always wondered what it would look like from inside but has never been "curious or stupid enough" to give it a try.

I like the cut of this man’s jib.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:04 PM on April 11, 2023 [21 favorites]

When will he get his call from Danielle Smith?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:05 PM on April 11, 2023 [7 favorites]

I'm surprised that something like that would happen in Edmonton at only 830pm on a Saturday night. In my day, that would have been a post-midnight activity for sure.
posted by rpfields at 4:14 PM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

Constructed in 2011, the structure designed by California-based artists Benjamin Ball

nice to see someone really lean in to their brand
posted by taquito sunrise at 4:23 PM on April 11, 2023 [17 favorites]

"I'm surprised that something like that would happen in Edmonton at only 830pm on a Saturday night. In my day, that would have been a post-midnight activity for sure."
We're all getting' a little older now, eh?
posted by Floydd at 4:50 PM on April 11, 2023 [10 favorites]

The sculpture shouldn't have a hole large enough to enter. Or if it does, it needs to have a ladder inside or other method of egress. The city is lucky it didn't happen to a kid.
posted by ryanrs at 5:03 PM on April 11, 2023 [21 favorites]

They could have thrown him a sandwich. Kids love sandwiches.
posted by mochapickle at 5:06 PM on April 11, 2023 [15 favorites]

"A man was inside the mound of polished stainless steel balls with no way out."

Becoming a journalist would be worth it just to be able to publish that sentence in a news story.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 5:27 PM on April 11, 2023 [20 favorites]

"I like the balls, one of the few people who do, so I came down to have a look. There was a guy inside there," he told CBC News on Monday.

And sometimes, they just hand you a quote like this.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:41 PM on April 11, 2023 [26 favorites]

I'll admit, I'm a bit disappointed. By now I was expecting all kinds of jaws of life jokes.
posted by sardonyx at 5:57 PM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

I know these artists. I’m sure they enjoyed this story.
posted by q*ben at 6:06 PM on April 11, 2023 [19 favorites]

Wish someone would throw me a sandwich.
posted by aesop at 6:36 PM on April 11, 2023 [9 favorites]

When will he get his call from Danielle Smith?

Not COVID related, nor is he the leader of a fringe political party, so Dani will need to come up with a new explanation. Give her a day or so.
posted by nubs at 7:03 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

"This is my art, and it is dangerous!"
posted by phooky at 7:03 PM on April 11, 2023 [4 favorites]

The sculpture shouldn't have a hole large enough to enter. Or if it does, it needs to have a ladder inside or other method of egress. The city is lucky it didn't happen to a kid.
posted by ryanrs at 8:03 PM on April 11

This sculpture has been in place for eleven years. I have a hard time seeing it as a threat to anyone except adult morons, and there's only so much you can do to save some people from themselves.
posted by ZaphodB at 7:08 PM on April 11, 2023 [24 favorites]

More people fell into the Grand Canyon last year than got caught in this statue. But maybe we need to not have a hole there large enough to enter, either.
posted by hippybear at 7:58 PM on April 11, 2023 [9 favorites]

Please refrain from making jokes. This was a very serious and potentially life-threatening situa-

Oh Christ, he got stuck in there again!
posted by AlSweigart at 8:06 PM on April 11, 2023 [13 favorites]

They should just name it "Balls, Deep," which should serve as fair warning.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:32 PM on April 11, 2023 [15 favorites]

He became part of the artwork and should have either tunnelled out or committed to the role
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:48 PM on April 11, 2023 [7 favorites]

How does anything happen, Charlie? Move past it.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:39 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I love that a pile of oversized ball bearings is "controversial" art in Canada.

This sculpture has been in place for eleven years. I have a hard time seeing it as a threat to anyone except adult morons

Seems like a typical Alberta attitude in its rugged individualism. "What about all the people the sculpture hasn't tried to kill?"

This is serious stuff. If they hadn't been able muster up three separate emergency response teams in time, they might have needed to deploy a sandwich for real!
posted by mark k at 11:05 PM on April 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

...charged with mischief

That's just so the cops can hold him while the DA builds a case for hijinks, possibly even shenanigans.

He's lucky. In Texas, he'd be looking at monkeyshines.
posted by PlusDistance at 12:56 AM on April 12, 2023 [17 favorites]

Can any one explain the controversy? Seems pretty innocuous as public art goes.
posted by Mitheral at 4:00 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’ve been told on numerous occasions that Alberta is the Texas of Canada, if that explains anything
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:08 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Can any one explain the controversy? Seems pretty innocuous as public art goes.

I’m going to speculate that the controversy is that it’s a pile of balls that cost $600K.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:22 AM on April 12, 2023 [9 favorites]

I'm curious why they didn't throw him a rope so he could squeeze back through the gap he originally squozed through, and avoid damaging the piece.

Maybe not the most efficient way to get the guy out, but he wasn't injured. I guess they did so because he was beginning to panic.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:11 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

…the structure designed by California-based artists Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues…

Nominative Determinism always, always wins in the end.
posted by signal at 5:13 AM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

"A man was inside the mound of polished stainless steel balls with no way out."

you are in a maze of polished balls, all alike
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:57 AM on April 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

I’m going to speculate that the controversy is that it’s a pile of balls that cost $600K.

and I'm going to speculate that anytime you spend public money on art, a percentage of people will complain about it. I helped a committee with public art selection for the town's centennial and it was absolutely thankless.. Edmonton's Talus Balls are nowhere near the worst, in my opinion.

I've lived in Edmonton and love Dirt City and this is pretty great.. the pull quotes are perfect
posted by elkevelvet at 6:53 AM on April 12, 2023 [10 favorites]

By now I was expecting all kinds of jaws of life jokes.

I was just sort of wincing at potential readings of this:

To extricate the man, firefighters had to cut into the structure and remove one of the balls
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:15 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Modern public art is an issue in Canada in the same way that abortion/complementarianism/gender rights is an issue in the USA. It's a single point culture war issue that represents a whole political worldview. There are many people in Canada who find modern art degenerate and a total waste of money. Of course they call themselves conservative and make loud noises about various freedoms while they recycle and echo Nazi politics.

Ask any Canadian who was around in 1990 their opinion on Voice of Fire and possibly get the shallowest art review ever. Depending on their worldview you might get treated to some talking points about wholesome representational proper "Canadian Art". Bet on the Group of 7 getting brought up. Nevermind that Barnett Newman created this specific work on commission for the Expo 67, a big deal in Canada, and as such it is significantly Canadian art. Nevermind all that because the Expo was in Quebec and all modern art is an insult to all the hard working hockey fans in English Canada.

It is worth noting the broader context, the National Gallery of Canada has an acquisitions budget funded directly by the federal government. Plus historically this gallery budget was around $1.5 million a year and was used to purchased hundreds of works of art. So when the budget was increased to $3 million and then the gallery promptly spent $1.8 on a single work - it was unusual and provocative.

There are many governments and programs directly involved in funding the arts in Canada, and that's the larger wedge issue at play. Tories can be reliably baited into working up an absolute panic over modern art, like when the gallery purchased Mark Rothko's No. 16. Their goal is to completely defund all culture and arts programs. Alberta has an abundance of these conservatives reactionary fundamentalists., Edmonton is actually so much better in this regard than the rest of Alberta. I think it's the benevolent effect of beholding the glory of the Butterdome.
posted by zenon at 7:23 AM on April 12, 2023 [11 favorites]

I immediately forwarded this to my museum coworkers. We agreed that this would happen to us if the giant sculpture that has been in storage forever would ever actually be put up outside. Not only would a student get trapped inside it, there is the real possibility for beheading.
posted by PussKillian at 7:53 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

The controversy is simply that the Talus Balls are ridiculous and embarrassing as a visual identifier or our city. That said, they may be silly balls, but they're our balls.

This whole thing is pretty fantastic, if you ask me. It's now a permanent part of Edmonton lore, and honestly with the political crap going on provincially, it's really nice to have some levity and something that brings everyone together for a laugh.
posted by kitcat at 7:55 AM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

The controversy is simply that the Talus Balls are ridiculous and embarrassing as a visual identifier or our city.

you do realize this is not a universal truth you've shared though, right? totally fine to hold opinions but stating that the Talus Balls installation is a ridiculous embarrassment is not a statement of fact
posted by elkevelvet at 8:04 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

The controversy is simply that the Talus Balls are ridiculous and embarrassing as a visual identifier or our city.

I thought it looked kind of cool.

My favorite quote was this one:

He said the man inside the structure was beginning to panic.

"It was kind of like watching a mouse fall into a bucket," said Schwindt.

"He was just kind of running around inside of it starting to freak out because he couldn't get out."

Really paints a picture!
posted by amanda at 8:09 AM on April 12, 2023 [13 favorites]

You do realize this is not a universal truth you've shared though, right?

Sure I do, but I think you're missing the point. Those of us who hate them, hate them lovingly. Edmonton embarrassment and self-deprecation is an important part of setting us apart from Vancouver and Toronto.
posted by kitcat at 8:09 AM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

Do people take selfies of their reflection in the Talus Balls, like the Cloud Gate aka Chicago Bean? I always thought that was a clever trick: become popular because you give people a reason to post photos of themselves with it.
posted by AlSweigart at 8:12 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

METAFILTER: Not only would a student get trapped inside it, there is the real possibility for beheading.
posted by philip-random at 8:21 AM on April 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

Those of us who hate them, hate them lovingly.

and the world is big enough for those who love the Balls also.

I don't have a background in art history or art theory, I just love that there's a large mass of orbs that catch the sun in a way that is truly preposterous. You used 'ridiculous' and maybe we differ in our opinions by degrees. I do like things that are obviously created, that catch the eye, and work with the space in some way, and the Balls do that for me.

edit to add: there was a time when the idiots partook of relatively harmless pursuits, like staring into those lights at the Legislative grounds long enough that when you stared away the world was purple. Purple City, anyone? and I was an idiot
posted by elkevelvet at 8:22 AM on April 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

a pile of balls that cost $600K.

Meanwhile, here in Vancouver, we have Rodney Graham's $4.8 MILLION Spinning Chandelier. Which has proven not just a little contentious.

That linked wiki piece only mentions the concerns of tone-deafness given its location in an immediate area where homelessness is a serious issue. But there's also the entirety of the NOT publicly funded art scene (ie: the seriously struggling types) who can't help but see all kinds of cooler, more wonderful, more meaningful things that could've been done with almost FIVE MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS (this being a city where the average rent for an actually livable space is satirically high).
posted by philip-random at 8:38 AM on April 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

The city has now put a fence around the Talus Ball artwork. One would think after the first vandalism.... But no problem now, because surely no one will ever climb a fence!

I couldn't envision how this doofus fell in, but assumed there must have been some large hole at the top like a volcano. Apparently not.

From the size of the person standing next to it on Google map, looks like he had to position himself just right to "fall in" accidently.

According to his interview he says "...it's just unfair.... There should have been a way out. Of course. With a sign. Idiots exit here.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:56 AM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Those of us who hate them, hate them lovingly.

I've often felt that Edmonton just has a prevailing ethos that anything built here has to be shit, by definition. Any public art will be ragged on endlessly, regardless of what it is or how much it cost, because simply being here means it must be terrible. Which can be pretty exhausting after a while. But the people who make public art happen soldier on regardless and we get some delightful things sometimes.

My favourite piece of weird Edmonton public art was the giant pan flute that used to be on Jasper and 109th. It theoretically played music, or at least made noise, if it was windy enough. I think I heard it, but I don't know if I'm just confabulating that memory (people swear it never made a sound). It was also used as a jungle gym by many a drunk person, as is the fate of all public art, though as far as I know no one ever got trapped in/on it. Anyways, it was removed over a decade ago to make room for condos.
posted by selenized at 9:50 AM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

More people fell into the Grand Canyon last year than got caught in this statue. But maybe we need to not have a hole there large enough to enter, either.

I know this was kind of jokey, but The Grand Canyon is legitimately dangerous if you have small children, and you can easily just hop off a ledge into a hundreds of feet drop with almost no security measures, within ~100 ft of a parking lot. And it's dark there at night.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:50 AM on April 12, 2023

I've often felt that Edmonton just has a prevailing ethos that anything built here has to be shit, by definition. Any public art will be ragged on endlessly, regardless of what it is or how much it cost, because simply being here means it must be terrible. Which can be pretty exhausting after a while. But the people who make public art happen soldier on regardless and we get some delightful things sometimes.

100% true. And one thing we pretty much all love is the newer Bob and Doug McKenzie sculpture.
posted by kitcat at 10:10 AM on April 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

Can we set up a few of these around Mar A Lago and wait for the inevitable?

They'd be... wait for it...Trump Hotels.
posted by Naberius at 10:11 AM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

It theoretically played music, or at least made noise, if it was windy enough

I do remember that installation. And I never caught a peep from it either, and I used to walk past that corner on the regular. Remember the art buffalos? My gawd the drunk people had a heyday with those.
posted by elkevelvet at 10:16 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

I could swear I saw Voice of Fire at the Winnipeg Art Gallery 15 some-odd years ago and tried to explain to my wife the whole controversy around it. But we have been to the National Gallery so it could have been there too. It's an impressive painting even if "my kid could do that".

My favourite public art piece was the chrome statue of Chastity the cow that was put up in a subdivision in Markham (a suburb of Toronto). Of course the residents hated it, they moved to a cookie cutter subdivision for a reason, but I was sad to see it go. I have a friend that lives there but I never got to visit him and see Chastity while it was up.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:59 PM on April 12, 2023

A man was inside the mound of polished stainless steel balls with no way out.

Excellent opening for a Philip K Dick story.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:32 PM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

a pile of balls that cost $600K.

This was my comment above. To be clear, I like the balls. But expensive public art, especially abstract art, is always 'controversial'.

In Sydney (where I live) there's a piece called Stones Against Sky that engenders a similar feeling. The locals call it 'Poo on Stilts'.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:56 PM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ask any Canadian who was around in 1990 their opinion on Voice of Fire and possibly get the shallowest art review ever. Depending on their worldview you might get treated to some talking points about wholesome representational proper "Canadian Art".

Ha. Yeah.

I went to the National Gallery in Ottawa in 2016, and when I came back to work, I mentioned my visit to a coworker, who proceeded to go on a rant about the cost of Voice of Fire, this being more than 25 years after it was acquired by the gallery.

I never got the outrage. I saw it, and in context/in person it's kind of interesting...I certainly wasn't upset by it.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:14 PM on April 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

It could be worse. Your city could have a giant stamp.

I'm allowed to make fun of it, I'm born and bred here
posted by kathrynm at 5:08 PM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

I have heard that the trick to Voice of Fire is to stand real close to the painting, until the blue fills your entire vision. Wait there, stand there, and keep staring for a minute or longer, then, once your vision starts to go all weird, shift your focus to the red stripe, and you'l see an impossibly pure, intense red that cannot exist as a physical object, due to how cone cells work. (This is very similar to the Eclipse of Neptune illusion in the bottom left of this page, incidentally.)
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:32 PM on April 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

Your city could have a giant stamp.

Not a philately stamp; a rubber stamp. That's awesome.
posted by Mitheral at 5:51 PM on April 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

Edmonton Arts Council: Talus Dome has a maintenance hatch.
posted by Mitheral at 5:46 PM on May 2, 2023 [3 favorites]