The Light Bag may be in Big Trouble

The floating light sculpture at the new St. Pete Pier is heading back to the fabricator.

Tampa Bay, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin, So You Want to Blog.

As dumb ideas go the floating art project needs to be right up there at the top of the list.

Never mind, the fact, that Mayor Kriseman and his band of “art crusaders” have built a multimillion-dollar park that sits just at sea level, which was an even dumber idea.

Kriseman pro ports to be a big believer in climate change and sea-level rise, but he didn’t seem to have any problem spending millions of dollars on a project that is unlikely to make it to the end of its projected useful life if even the most conservative sea-level rise predictions are accurate.

Don’t even think sea wall here it’s just not practical.

I have been on the record from the beginning that this light sculpture was a silly idea.

So, for some history on the Janet Echelman floating art structure called Bending Arc, check out these posts and these Tampa Bay Times articles.

Bay Post July 2018 Echelman floating art – where to put it

Bay Post July 2018 The Light Bag is back with private funding

Fun facts:
Price: $1.47 million dollars plus about $400,000 for the foundation, mounting Pylons and lighting.

Sculpture by the Numbers:
1,662,528 knots
180 miles length of twine in net
370 ft length of net
420 ft length of artwork (includes tensioned rope)
64 ft highest point
5,330 lbs weight
47,500 sf area of sculpture’s projected plan

Tampa Bay Times By Josh Solomon, St. Pete discovers ‘issue’ with $1.5 million Echelman sculpture

Tampa Bay Times, Waveney Ann Moore, Janet Echelman’s Pier sculpture will be taken down and reinstalled.

Tampa Bay Times Waveney Ann Moore, Janet Echelman’s signature St. Pete Pier sculpture has temporarily disappeared

The Light Bag err.. Pier Sculpture has been bagged up and sent back to the fabricator for repair.

Fear not you can rest assured it will be back even if Kriseman has to retie all of those 1,662,528 knots himself.

As a side note, there has still been no indication of what department or who will be responsible for the light sculpture. Who will put it up, who will take it down, who will respond to a fast-moving storm day or night and most of all who will pay for all that labor?

Actually, we do know the answer to the last part. The good taxpayers of St. Petersburg will be paying the freight, and it won’t be cheap.

E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me a Facebook (E. Eugene Webb) Friend request. Like or share on Facebook and follow me on TWITTER  @DOC ON THE BAY.
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