Anne Robinson’s dismay at Kensington sculpture
You are a terrible waste of money, goodbye
This week, plans to install a new sculpture on the roundabout just off Gloucester Road were damned by ex-presenter of The Weakest Link and Watchdog, Anne Robinson.
Robinson, whose infamous glare made her a TV staple in the noughties, said the £100,000 price tag was too much, considering the UK is enduring “times of austerity”. Pointing out that the public art was tucked away on the traffic island, which was only really overlooked by the Michelin starred Launceston Place restaurant, she said, “It’s ludicrous to think that school-run mums and white van men will stop to admire a sculpture at that junction”.
She said the £100,000 price tag was too much
The roundabout is just beyond the Gloucester Arms, and is currently covered by well-maintained shrubs. The sharp-tongued presenter maintained that Kensington and Chelsea were using the new statue as an excuse to “not to have to weed and plant” in the small patch.
She said she’d rather the money were spent on less frivolous ventures, such as “my day care in years to come”.
The local resident’s association has been mulling over proposals for the centrepiece, submitted by several notable sculptors. Charles Hadcock, whose work has been displayed in and around Canary Wharf, proposed a globe, while Peter Randall-Page, who has work in the permanent collection of the British Museum, has proposed a lizard-like statue.
The sculpture would be funded by next door’s £600m new build, One Kensington Place. The council insists on large developments like this donating money for public art, with local councillor, Daniel Moylan saying the funds are not public money, and can only be used for this purpose.
Robinson remarked that she would make a complaint against the plans before the deadline for consultation, which was today. Watch this space, literally.
