I first noticed something odd on the evening I arrived in Dublin when I saw what appeared to be a rocket going up to explode into fireworks, but it was frozen in place. The next day I came around a corner -- and there it was; a huge monstrosity that appeared out of place and didn't at all fit in with the local landscape. I was shocked to discover this hideous spike sticking up 400 feet in the air in the middle of O’Connell Street. I guess when you’re the richest, fastest growing economy in Europe – you can afford exorbitant wastefulness. (€ 3,000,000) Anyone else see this thing? What do you think? Discuss
Here’s an article about one person’s bizarre impression that includes a good photo:
There have been a lot of bizarre looking pieces of metal and other material planted in various place in the erstwhile Emerald Isle during the boom years of the past ten years or so. The Spire/Spike appears to be one of these. Since it has no aesthetic or functional value, one can only assume it represents, as Grego has said elsewhere, a Celtic Tiger attitude of giving the middle finger to the world with the message, "I've got €3 million to squander on this ugly intrusive useless object and fu** you".
Interesting website. I'm going to be on the watch for "negatively oriented aliens" from now on (from the link on cell phone towers.)
To wrap your mind around the Spike, you'd best also understand the history of Nelson's Pillar (which stood precisely where the Spike is now) and its destruction. Last time I was in Dublin RTE had a very good documentary including interviews with the bombers and some frightened bystanders. The thing was (and I remember this from my childhood days) that virtually everyone, including those in power at the time, were secretly happy that it was gone. It was an icon of colonial days that "looked down" on the citizens of the Republic.
But Nelson's Pillar's departure also left a void that had to be filled with something - and that something took a long time to arrive. The intermediate solution was to put a grotto to the Virgin Mary where rosaries could be said.
Although I think the Spike is way overdone, I'm happy there's something there that represents a Dublin that's shaken off both its colonial and, dare I say it, religiously dominated past.
Still, I don't have to look at it every day.. And I didn't have to pay for it.
As a matter of interest, is the Spike anywhere near where Nelson's monument used to be before it was "removed"?
If so, could this have any significance?
Well it has been called "the stump in the dump" but i'm sure we could come up with something better.
The Spire was completed in 2003, on the site of Nelson's Pillar, which is traditionally thought of as the exact centre of Dublin city. The Spire stands 120 metres high, and celebrates the turn of the century.
I happened to visit Dublin the week that they finished construction... 3 years late! What a crowd that was. Have some great photos of workers peeking their heads out the top (before the cap was put on).
There was a thriller-type novel written before actual construction in which the russian mob (I believe) blows up the spire. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
when i was in dublin, i was told by one local that this structure was called 'the spike in the dyke'. i didnt stop to ask, but i never knew there was a water barrier in the middle of O'Connell street!
Well they don't seem to have gotten over their obcession with crowns in England yet judging by their "Millenium Dome." I don't know what to think about the Bilbao one -- it looks like my dish-drainer when it's stacked with pots, pans, and cutlery.
Jack, if you get a chance to go to Bilbao at some point, go and have a look at it. I think it's really beautiful. I saw it when it was under construction, and then went back a few years later and went for a visit. And Bilbao is a great town, too! Murfbox, what do you think of the Guggenheim, as a local?
Well, like a lot of other people in Bilbao, I was very dubious to say the least about such an astronomical amount of public money being spent on a temple to modern art which would be largely incomprehensible to most people. Particularly as there were (and are) so many other priorities for public expenditure.
But.... we were all proved wrong !!
The Guggenheim has made an enormous impact on Bilbao, really put it on the map.
We're definately talking about a "before and after" situation, a watershed.
When you've got a nice day with the blue of the sky, the green of the surrounding mountains and the sun reflecting off the titanium, there's nothing like it !! And I'm not getting paid for any of this !
Musical content: There are rumblings of a weekend monster session in Bilbao in the New Year, possibly 2nd half of january.
I don't want to count the chickens before they are hatched, so that's all I can say for the moment but I'll come back with more news if and when it materialises.
Mike
Have you seen the "Spike"?
Have you seen the "Spike"?
I first noticed something odd on the evening I arrived in Dublin when I saw what appeared to be a rocket going up to explode into fireworks, but it was frozen in place. The next day I came around a corner -- and there it was; a huge monstrosity that appeared out of place and didn't at all fit in with the local landscape. I was shocked to discover this hideous spike sticking up 400 feet in the air in the middle of O’Connell Street. I guess when you’re the richest, fastest growing economy in Europe – you can afford exorbitant wastefulness. (€ 3,000,000) Anyone else see this thing? What do you think? Discuss
Here’s an article about one person’s bizarre impression that includes a good photo:
http://educate-yourself.org/lte/dublinmilleniumspike24jun04.shtml
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Well, he certainly sounds an, um, interesting, correspondent...
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Ottery
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Can't say I've seen it, or been 'zapped' by it myself though...
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Ottery
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
"Exorbitant wastefulness". Well, we built our own new Parliament building. Just think of the money we could have saved with just a big "Spike".
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
I guess no one has seen the earth's tunning fork at the Berkeley BART station either. Interesting but not A440
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=6138
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by I_Fel
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
There have been a lot of bizarre looking pieces of metal and other material planted in various place in the erstwhile Emerald Isle during the boom years of the past ten years or so. The Spire/Spike appears to be one of these. Since it has no aesthetic or functional value, one can only assume it represents, as Grego has said elsewhere, a Celtic Tiger attitude of giving the middle finger to the world with the message, "I've got €3 million to squander on this ugly intrusive useless object and fu** you".
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by An Goban Saor
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Now we know where to stick all our receipts....
Is this the Solar System equivalent of breaking the rule about not running with scissors? From Mars, we must look like an accident waiting to happen.
And I'll remember not to take lessons from the parachuting school at Dublin Airport....
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
At least the Berkeley sculpture is more direct about it's message: "Fork You!"
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Isn't there a local nickname for this thing? I think I remember somebody saying something about it at one point.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Urm.. yes Zina... it's "The Spike."
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
No no no. It's a much more, um, graphic Dubliner kind of nickname, I remember laughing about it...
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
You know, like "the Tart with the Cart"?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
I read somewhere that it will probably pop Ireland's economic bubble.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Interesting website. I'm going to be on the watch for "negatively oriented aliens" from now on (from the link on cell phone towers.)
To wrap your mind around the Spike, you'd best also understand the history of Nelson's Pillar (which stood precisely where the Spike is now) and its destruction. Last time I was in Dublin RTE had a very good documentary including interviews with the bombers and some frightened bystanders. The thing was (and I remember this from my childhood days) that virtually everyone, including those in power at the time, were secretly happy that it was gone. It was an icon of colonial days that "looked down" on the citizens of the Republic.
But Nelson's Pillar's departure also left a void that had to be filled with something - and that something took a long time to arrive. The intermediate solution was to put a grotto to the Virgin Mary where rosaries could be said.
Although I think the Spike is way overdone, I'm happy there's something there that represents a Dublin that's shaken off both its colonial and, dare I say it, religiously dominated past.
Still, I don't have to look at it every day.. And I didn't have to pay for it.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by grego
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Floozy in the Jacuzzi?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Yes, we need one of those dour Dubliners to tell us what it is -- Quinn! Troy! Where are ya?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Was it "The Nail in the Pale"?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by grego
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Good enough for me. *snort*
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
As a matter of interest, is the Spike anywhere near where Nelson's monument used to be before it was "removed"?
If so, could this have any significance?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Helooo?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by grego
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Well it has been called "the stump in the dump" but i'm sure we could come up with something better.
The Spire was completed in 2003, on the site of Nelson's Pillar, which is traditionally thought of as the exact centre of Dublin city. The Spire stands 120 metres high, and celebrates the turn of the century.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Seasider
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
"The pin without sin"?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Sorry, Grego. I didn't read your previous post.
I had a notion that it would have been there.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Johnny Jay
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
"The needle in the meedle"?
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
No guys. 'tis actually "the stiffie near the Liffey"
and that's official from all dubliners.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
hahahahaha!
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
see ye on Mondah!
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
hahahahahaha
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Along with the music, we can now celebrate the magnificence of one of Dublin's erections.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
The stiletto in the ghetto.
We are after having some amazing electrical storms since it was erected.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Dphil
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
It's always refreshing to read a discussion that isn't pointless.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by ∅
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
hahahaha
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Here's Albuquerque, NM's version:
http://www.jims-pages.com/foison/chevy.html
It's called the chevy-on-a-stick by the locals.
# Posted on December 10th 2004 by cj
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
I happened to visit Dublin the week that they finished construction... 3 years late! What a crowd that was. Have some great photos of workers peeking their heads out the top (before the cap was put on).
There was a thriller-type novel written before actual construction in which the russian mob (I believe) blows up the spire. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Trinil
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Hmmm... I don't know Trinil, but considering it's nickname, you could be talking about ejaculation maybe?
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
when i was in dublin, i was told by one local that this structure was called 'the spike in the dyke'. i didnt stop to ask, but i never knew there was a water barrier in the middle of O'Connell street!
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by aaron b
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Well, we got a glorified bloody tent for our millenium monument:
http://frebieware.esmartweb.com/gallery/pages/England-Millenium%20Dome.htm - and nobody can decide what the hell to do with it.
For the same money, we could have had the Bilbao Guggenheim *ten* times, apparently! One would have done just fine, I think it's stunning:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~bbrown/photos/BilbaoMuseumFromBridgePS2.jpg
or
http://www.virtourist.com/europe/bilbao/index.html
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Nell
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Well they don't seem to have gotten over their obcession with crowns in England yet judging by their "Millenium Dome." I don't know what to think about the Bilbao one -- it looks like my dish-drainer when it's stacked with pots, pans, and cutlery.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Uh... Jim's here.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
After last Sunday at Hughezez, I know just what I'm missing. *sigh* You basdard you... say hi to the gang for me.
# Posted on December 11th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Jack, if you get a chance to go to Bilbao at some point, go and have a look at it. I think it's really beautiful. I saw it when it was under construction, and then went back a few years later and went for a visit. And Bilbao is a great town, too! Murfbox, what do you think of the Guggenheim, as a local?
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by Nell
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Well, like a lot of other people in Bilbao, I was very dubious to say the least about such an astronomical amount of public money being spent on a temple to modern art which would be largely incomprehensible to most people. Particularly as there were (and are) so many other priorities for public expenditure.
But.... we were all proved wrong !!
The Guggenheim has made an enormous impact on Bilbao, really put it on the map.
We're definately talking about a "before and after" situation, a watershed.
When you've got a nice day with the blue of the sky, the green of the surrounding mountains and the sun reflecting off the titanium, there's nothing like it !! And I'm not getting paid for any of this !
Musical content: There are rumblings of a weekend monster session in Bilbao in the New Year, possibly 2nd half of january.
I don't want to count the chickens before they are hatched, so that's all I can say for the moment but I'll come back with more news if and when it materialises.
Mike
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by murfbox
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Nell, I think my dishrack is beautiful when it's stacked with clean pots, pans, and cutlery.
I would imagine the Stiffie by the Liffy would put Dublin on the map too. It's kind of like a giant pin really -- only it's been stuck in head first.
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Terry Pratchett wrote that the Sydney Opera House looks like a box of tissues, which I thought was funny...national monuments...interesting stuff...
# Posted on December 12th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
It's one of the architectural profession's (expensive) jokes on local gubbmints.
"Can you believe we got them to build another one!?!"
One exception is the Getty Museum in LA - it's incredible!
"Stiffey by the Liffey" is what a local lass told me when I enquired what that incongruous "thing" was... Luckily we missed seeing it at night.
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by Laughtonb
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
It'd be fun to do a world tour just to look at all the frankly ridiculous monuments, wouldn't it?
Hey Bob -- my best to the gang out there!
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
Good morning all, 'tis Monday. Zina would never say such a thing, Jim. was Hughses any good?
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by Joe Quinn
Re: Have you seen the "Spike"?
LOL -- such confidence! Good morning, Joe! Good morning, Jim! I'm finally awake!
# Posted on December 13th 2004 by Zina Lee