Monday, 29 August 2011 23:47

The massive white metallic form of Chilean artist Francisco Gazitua's Perpetual Motion stands newly erected in Liberty Park. In the spirit of many other works of art, it's inspired a wide range of opinions of the residents of Liberty Village.

A lot of the positive feelings were a result of observing the way Perpetual Motion paid homage to the industrial past of Liberty Village. The sculpture itself, according to Gazitua “references to water wheels and mechanical components [in the sculpture] are evident and look back to a time when this area was bustling with industry."Some of the residents I spoke to in Liberty Village were fond of the new sculpture. They expressed an appreciation for how it evoked the area's history. They were acutely observant of how Gazitua was using certain shapes to get that point across.

Conversely though, there were some residents who considered it an inefficient use of money. Rather than being in awe of the sculpture, I was told that the money could have been more effectively spent on beautifying the park, such as fixing the loose sodding or introducing some new facilities aside from the small jungle gym tucked into the park's corner. The sculpture was paid for according to the City of Toronto's Private Developer Percent for Public Art Program, a special fund which requires developers to use at least one percent of their budget towards the creation of public art. Although this is the case with Perpetual Motion, it does raise the question as to how much of that was invested in this single project.

Perhaps the most damning comments about Perpetual Motion itself I heard came from those who were indifferent to the sculpture. The death of any work of art is when it no longer has any power to evoke a meaningful response from its observers. To not have that power to begin with is not a very good sign for a new installation.Some people weren't even aware of the existence of the sculpture, or at least hadn't paid any real attention to it. More than once I had to specifically gesture towards it so people would know what I meant by 'Perpetual Motion'. The response tended to be a shrug with a few words of disinterest.

For all the criticisms of the decision to install a piece like Perpetual Motion, to how the funds might have been more wisely spent to the powerful memories of history it evokes, the most dangerous reaction may be indifference. Art work that fails to elicit a reaction dooms itself to obscurity, and in that sense, it would be a terrible shame for the same thing to happen to Perpetual Motion.

Although only a few days old, as of writing this, the true tragedy would be for it to be forgotten over the years and be thought of as 'that big metal thing in the park' Over time the residents of Liberty Village may learn to love or hate Perpetual Motion, but hopefully it will continue to inspire a reaction that amounts to more than indifference.

José Gonzalez