Duck Fever gripped Hong Kong this month, with the arrival of a 16.5m.tall artwork, conceived by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. Tens of thousands of visitors flocked to see a giant bright yellow inflatable rubber duck, bobbing on Victoria Harbour. But those who came for a view last Wednesday only saw something resembling a floating fried egg!
Organisers say the duck was deflated on Tuesday evening as part of scheduled maintenance work but struck a few problems - they don't know when the duck will be re-inflated.
Hong Kong has taken the bright yellow inflatable bird to its heart since it was towed into the harbour on 2nd May to cheering
crowds. Stalls and shops throughout the city are selling replicas and restaurants have created special duck dishes. But this week, visitors resorted to having their pictures taken with smaller rubber ducks on show nearby.Since 2007, the duck has travelled to 13 different cities in nine countries ranging from Brazil to Australia in a global journey. The artist hopes the duck, which is due to leave Hong Kong on 9th June, will act as a catalyst for connecting people to public art.
But...is a giant floating duck really ART, or merely the artist reliving his childhood bath-time experiences on a gigantic scale?
Your last sentence summed up my feeling on this subject perfectly .... ART??? Hardly, it's a giant replica bath toy for goodness sake! I dread to think how much this ridiculous giant toy cost!
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