Sherman Uncle Billy's Got His Eyes on You. . .

AndyHall

Colonel
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Dec 13, 2011
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In Atlanta:

Do not run for cover, good citizens. It’s only Sherman’s stern visage that has returned in “Apparitions,” artist Gregor Turk’s temporary public art installation commissioned by Atlanta Celebrates Photography and Art on the Beltline.

Sherman’s eyes stare down from five different billboards clustered together along the Atlanta Beltline adjacent to Piedmont Park (a quarter mile north of the intersection of 10th Street and Monroe Drive), and have since March.

This is actually the third phase of Turk’s project. In the first phase, which went up last fall, the billboards were covered with images of blank billboards, photographed in a previous Turk project and suggesting mischief to come. It arrived in the second phase when the billboards were plastered with life-size images of the very views they obscured.

Part three, titled “Look Away,” strikes a more serious and provocative note.

“The configuration of the encircling billboards could be construed as an inverted version of the Cyclorama featuring Sherman’s eyes rather than the battle he witnessed from nearby Copenhill,” Turk wrote in an email to the AJC, referencing the site of the current-day Carter Center.

The artist clarified that his intention was “to reflect on the city’s progress and shortcomings since its destruction 150 years ago through the intimidating gaze of Sherman.”

Remarkably, not everyone seems happy about this public art installation. Imagine that.
 
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It's going to engage a lot of viewers and provoke a lot of comment around Atlanta and elsewhere, and that's exactly what the artist wanted the installation to do.
 
It's going to engage a lot of viewers and provoke a lot of comment around Atlanta and elsewhere, and that's exactly what the artist wanted the installation to do.

I'm normally quite cynical about public art but based on the photo, I think this one works. It's unexpected portrayal of Sherman in a provocative setting probably does get people thinking about Atlanta's history in a playful way or at least make them stop for a moment.
 
I'm normally quite cynical about public art but based on the photo, I think this one works. It's unexpected portrayal of Sherman in a provocative setting probably does get people thinking about Atlanta's history in a playful way or at least make them stop for a moment.
I don't blame you for being cynical most times about public art. A lot of it is so bad--even some of the temporary installations. Some of it is excellent. I'm glad you think this one works. I think we agree that it will provoke a lot of response in Atlanta. Eventually, though, it will be removed and something else will go up. I must say that I do think the concept of showing various views of Sherman's eyes is quite a startling and good concept. I am pretty sure a number of Atlanta residents would argue, but it's a cosmopolitan city now and there will be plenty of folks who will find this interesting.
 
A good time to line the area with Confederate flags, it would be kind of hard for anyone to complain the flags are offending somebody and this so-call Sherman art isn’t.
 
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