MORE: A commenter asks "Where's Lake Mendota"? Hmmm.... Well, you can always get a good look at Lake Mendota, right now, here. There have been some art projects on the lake ice before, most famously, this one:
Anyway, the lake, here in Madison, Wisconsin, is not where Otis Redding died.
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17 comments:
So... will people on the right complain because those damn leftists peacenicks have made a public display against the war in Iraq... or will people on the left complain because its a blatant show of religion to use Christmas trees in a public space?
Or will the eco-left complain because he's damaging a wetland?
Let's all hold hands and sing Imagine. That'll solve everything!
Lake Mendota is the largest of the lakes here in Madison, Wisconsin.
There's also Monona, Waubesa, Kegonsa, and Wingra.
Longfellow actually wrote a poem about the four largest called "The Four Lakes of Madison."
http://www.farid-hajji.net/books/en/Longfellow_Henry_Wadsworth/cpw-243.html
If that the work of an artist then I am Grandma Moses.
I think the trees on the ice are kind of pretty, but I love the Lady Liberty one. That's pretty clever.
Lovely pics, all three.
But what was the statute of liberty made of?!
LOVE the Statue of Liberty one. That is really creative. Bet it stopped traffic, too!
"You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you to hell!"
They filmed that in Madison? In the winter, no less? Who knew?
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
I like the Statue of Liberty one, too. Creative, spooky!
BTW Iowahawk has a pretty funny Wisconsin piece up.
Trivia! One of the people responsible for the Statue of Liberty stunt (and also the 1008 plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill) was Jim Mallon, who went on to be the executive producer of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and the voice of Gypsy!)
waitaminute, I thought that was Kevin Murphy? I remember that, because I remember reading about that somewhere (I think it was on the cover of the Wisconsin State Journal when I was a paperboy). years later I heard about that guy who was the president of the student body who did it, and I thought that was Murphy.
now I'm gonna be a basket case! I'VE BEEN LIVING A LIE!!!
Follow the link for the the Liberty statue to get answers to various questions.
"The presence of Lady Liberty on Lake Mendota was the handiwork of Jim Mallon and Leon Varjian, the two leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's notorious Pail and Shovel (P&S) party."
"the statue had been constructed in a woodworking shop out of chicken wire, papier-mâché, and plywood.."
Some serious work went into building that statue. People remember it fondly because it was so well done and so amusing.
The Christmas tree thing, on the other hand. First, did you note that the article just called them "evergreens," as if there was some way to get a lot of evergreens that wasn't picking up all the discarded Christmas trees we've all left out at the curb? Anyway, it was pretty easy to just collect people's trees and then stick them in the ice. Very little artistry here.
As to leaving them to litter the lake, the article credits the artist with risking his safety to retrieve the trees from the thin ice.
Fond memories of Madison. I went to the UW in the 80's and lady liberty and the flamingos on the hill were pretty cool. I am originally from Waunakee which is north of Madison about 10 miles.
Nice place to visit or go to school but I wouldn't want to live there.
I prefer the east coast.
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