A man couldn’t resist the urge to climb Len Lye’s “Water Whirler” sculpture in Wellington, New Zealand earlier this month. To his surprise, the $1 million artwork snapped. In a final act of resistentialism, the sculpture fell on the man while he was in the water, and he was sent to the hospital.
From The New Zealand Herald:
Roger Horrocks, a trustee of The Len Lye Foundation and author of Len Lye’s biography, said it was not the first time the iconic sculpture had been damaged.
The foundation had no uptake when it previously recommended Wellington City Council block access to the sculpture. He hoped it would now reconsider.
“A sculpture like that has to be proofed against idiots – total idiots who want to destroy it.”
Image: YouTube screenshot