The strangest monuments and sculptures of the English-

speaking countries Автор: АБАШИНА Надежда Ивановна, учитель английского языка МБОУ СОШ № 151

г. Красноярск, 2013

ССCREA

Creativity of a human being can be unpredictable. The world of art is a mixture of different forms of expressing oneself by means of painting, music, poetry, creating sculptures, monuments and architectural elements.

ССCREA

Art is a weird and wonderful thing. It can excite, thrill and terrify us, entertain us, leave us speechless, or in some cases just confuse us slightly.

ССCREA

Most monuments and sculptures all over the world are connected with historical events and historical people. Let’s watch the strangest and weirdest sculptures which can be found in the streets of the English-speaking countries. Their origins are either humorous or creative.

The UK

TRAFFIC LIGHT TREE of London

The Traffic Light Tree (by artist Pierre Vivant) is at the junctions of Heron Quay Bank, Marsh Wall and Westferry Road. The tree consists of 75 traffic lights which flash in a random sequence.

«The Sculpture reflects the never ending rhythm of financial and commercial activities» - Pierre Vivant, 1998.

The three-meter Musical sculpture “The Singing Ringing Tree” is established in 2006 on the top of Crown Point hill, overlooking the

city Burnley. It consists of hundreds of pipes made of galvanized steel and plays a different tune each time the wind forces. The authors are the architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu.

The Shark became the most famous resident of Headington when it landed in the roof of 2 New High Street on 9 August 1986.This ordinary home (built in about 1860) has become the centre of world attention, and the headless shark still excites interest today.

Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh, Scotland Greyfriars Bobby is a world famous Scottish icon in Edinburgh. Bobby’s owner, John Gray, was a night watchman in the Edinburgh City Police. After his death the little Skye Terrier spent fourteen years guarding his dead master’s grave.

Lobey Dosser, Glasgow The world's only two-legged equestrian statue, of cartoon character Lobey Dosser, opposite the Halt Bar in Woodlands Road.This statue was erected by public subscription in 1992 on the edge of Kelvingrove Park to the memory of Bud Neill, 1911-1970, cartoonist and poet, creator of Lobey Dosser, Sheriff of Calton Creek and many other characters.

Monument of famous people‘s suitcases that made Liverpool famous over the years

John Lennon BenchThis monument was commissioned by Castro. It was built 20 years after the Beatles death… at which time Castro eased up on anti-Beatle legislation and began celebrating the singer/songwriter publicly.

The USA

This monument, built in 1987 by experimental artist Jim Reinders and 30 family members in Alliance, Nebraska, is the American answer to the English Monument Stonehenge. The structure is accurately proportionate to the real Stonehenge (but the components are old cars).

Carhenge, the USA

Cloud Gate, Illinois, ChicagoThis popular sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Millennium Park has got a nickname "The Bean“. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. The sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch.

Crocodile eating a Capitalist, Brooklyn, NY, USA

The Awakening, Washington , DC, the USAGiant Clothespin,

Philadelphia, the USA

Waiting for a bus, Washington, DC, Seattle

It’s Been One of Those Days… Los Angeles, the USA The Statue of a hard-working clerk with his head inside the wall of the Ernst & Young building.

FREMONT TROLLThis troll is located under the north end of the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the creation of four artists: Steven Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead whose basic idea was inspired by "Three Billy Goats Gruff," a Scandinavian folk tale.

Deviceto Root Out Evil,Vancouver, CanadaThis unusual sculpture made of transparent red Venetian glass and steel was created by Dennis Oppenheim in 1997. It is an 8 foot village church in the English new style, with the roof spiked into the ground.

CANADA

Made from glass, steel and aluminium by artist Dennis Oppenheim the Rings are at the English Beach Bay in Vancouver. The shapes in the form of houses look like 2 big “diamonds”.

Engagement Rings, Vancouver, Canada

Giant Spider, Ontario, CanadaThe sculpture catches your attention by its huge size.

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

Upside Down Charles La Trobe Statue, AustraliaMelbourne sculptor Charles Rubb quite literally turned things on their head for this piece of work. This statue, located by La Trobe University in Bundoora is said to embody the idea that universities should turn ideas on their heads

This huge change purse, known as “The Public Purse” is located on the street of Melbourne, Australia. It was designed as a form of unique seating on the streets of the city.

Penrose Triangle, Perth, Australia"Penrose Triangle" sculpture is situated in the middle of a traffic island in East Perth Western Australia. When it is viewed from a particular place it forms a perfect triangle. From another angle one can see the actual shape of the structure.

Bruno’s Art & Sculpture Garden, Australia, Marysville

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

LIST OF USEFUL WEBSITES:http://allday2.com/index.php?newsid=499835

http://www.grafamania.net/art_images/74777-khudozhnik-josh-keyes.html

http://paifo.ru/po-stranam/105-velikobritaniya.html

http://wictoria.ru/post/966/freetime-udivitelynoe-ryadom

http://www.adme.ru/kreativnyj-obzor/neobychnye-statui-mira-305755/

http://thelistcafe.com/10-of-the-worlds-strangest-monuments-and-statues

http://thumbpress.com/10-strangest-monuments-and-statues-around-the-world/

http://www.kulturologia.ru/blogs/031110/13385/

http://www.cool-story.com/story/372/The-Strangest-Public-Sculptures/

http://www.bestourism.com/items/li?tag=+strange+monuments