Photograph by Fiona Norrie I love this story so thought I would share it with my readers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-19940942
The Milton Keynes concrete cows arrived in the seventies and are a local landmark. As a child I lived in Bletchley and I remember going to see these things when they first went on show.
The article refers to the cows being vandalised but when I saw the picture, vandalism isn’t something that sprang to mind – my view is that the net result is excellent and some urban artist needs to be congratulated. Even the legendary ‘Banksy’ would probably give this work the thumbs up.
Typically the park’s community engagement officer is a bit grumpy and only sees the costs associated with returning the cows to their normal black and white pattern; doesn’t see the humour and suggests they could get moved permanently. Bah Humbug!
Here’s what I think:
I see the cows drawing in more visitors. They have become a talking point again and they look magnificent. I will certainly be making a trip out to see them and I wouldn’t have thought about doing that before reading the news story.
I think the whole thing could be the perfect publicity stunt – the park commissions the artist, generates some decent media coverage and increases footfall as well.
With Halloween coming, the spooky theme for the cows is perfect.
I think the cows could and should become the permanent MK Cow Parade. The herd should regularly be repainted as a means to keeping local and even national interest alive. The re-paints could be themed (as well as Halloween, think Christmas cows, Easter Cows, Olympic/Team GB cows etc.). The herd could be sponsored by corporates or be the temporary show piece for local art colleges. This would be proper community engagement and a funds generator for the park.
My advice to Bryony Serginson, don’t be cross, think about the possibilities instead.
Fiona Norrie, I am with you! You've taken a great photograph too.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-19940942
The Milton Keynes concrete cows arrived in the seventies and are a local landmark. As a child I lived in Bletchley and I remember going to see these things when they first went on show.
The article refers to the cows being vandalised but when I saw the picture, vandalism isn’t something that sprang to mind – my view is that the net result is excellent and some urban artist needs to be congratulated. Even the legendary ‘Banksy’ would probably give this work the thumbs up.
Typically the park’s community engagement officer is a bit grumpy and only sees the costs associated with returning the cows to their normal black and white pattern; doesn’t see the humour and suggests they could get moved permanently. Bah Humbug!
Here’s what I think:
I see the cows drawing in more visitors. They have become a talking point again and they look magnificent. I will certainly be making a trip out to see them and I wouldn’t have thought about doing that before reading the news story.
I think the whole thing could be the perfect publicity stunt – the park commissions the artist, generates some decent media coverage and increases footfall as well.
With Halloween coming, the spooky theme for the cows is perfect.
I think the cows could and should become the permanent MK Cow Parade. The herd should regularly be repainted as a means to keeping local and even national interest alive. The re-paints could be themed (as well as Halloween, think Christmas cows, Easter Cows, Olympic/Team GB cows etc.). The herd could be sponsored by corporates or be the temporary show piece for local art colleges. This would be proper community engagement and a funds generator for the park.
My advice to Bryony Serginson, don’t be cross, think about the possibilities instead.
Fiona Norrie, I am with you! You've taken a great photograph too.
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