James Brunt Land Art

[Dee]

Im glad you girls are enjoying his stuff. He does time his visits to the beach very well, as some of these work take many hours to construct. He sometimes posts when and where he's going, so you can go and see him work.

Moonchime, you might not want to see this, but going with the "leave no trace" campaign in response to complaints about stone stacking/balancing sculptures springing up everywhere, (no idea who would complain, doesn't everyone love them?) he's asked some kids to help him demolish his latest creation, who were more than willing to throw stones at it! You can see it on his FB page, 11 August entry.

https://m.facebook.com/jamesbruntartist/

[NurseRatched]

Moonchime, you might not want to see this, but going with the "leave no trace" campaign in response to complaints about stone stacking/balancing sculptures springing up everywhere, (no idea who would complain, doesn't everyone love them?) he's asked some kids to help him demolish his latest creation, who were more than willing to throw stones at it! You can see it on his FB page, 11 August entry.

Seriously?? So, now it's offensive to rearrange rocks?! Stop the planet, I'm getting off.

[Dee]

And yes. It's the most fashionable pastime these days: to get offended and to disapprove.

In the gorgeous Spanish mountains people were stacking stones in places and at others they created some circles, words. I saw one "I Columbia" stone arrangement, which I immediately photographed for a Columbian friend, and then I spotted a penis nearby, also created from stones. It made me smile, so juvenile, yet so primal and funny. I was walking towards it wanting to take a pic, but a couple in front of us were walking much faster, and the man went right up to it and kicked it apart until it was unrecognisable. I was astonished why it had offended him so much to take a detour/climb to destroy it. He didn't bother with the
"I Columbia".

Some people....

[NurseRatched]

Perhaps the rock penis outshone the one he's carrying around Jealous, I imagine!!

Sounds really lovely to come upon spontaneous art & people playing in the mountains. You fit right in with that lot!

[Dee]

I certainly did. And I love seeing people play.

Perhaps the rock penis outshone the one he's carrying around Jealous, I imagine!!

What else could it be?

[Dee]

When we first saw it, it instantly reminded us of this fella and his proud upright body part:




The Cerne Abbas Giant, Dorset, England ~ 400 years old

Spoiler:

The Cerne Abbas Giant, also referred to as the "Rude Man" or the "Rude Giant", is a hill figure of a giant naked man 180 ft (55 m) high, 167 ft (51 m) wide figure is carved into the side of a steep hill, and is best viewed from the opposite side of the valley or from the air. The carving is formed by a trench 12 in (30 cm) wide, and about the same depth, which has been cut through grass and earth into the underlying chalk. In his right hand the giant holds a knobbled club 120 ft (37 m) in length.

Its history cannot be traced back further than the late 17th century, making an origin during the Celtic, Roman or even Early Medieval periods difficult to prove. Above and to the right of the Giant's head is an earthwork known as the "Trendle", or "Frying Pan". Medieval writings refer to this location as "Trendle Hill", but make no mention of the giant, leading to the conclusion that it was probably only carved about 400 years ago.

In 2008, overgrowth forced a re-chalking of the giant, with 17 tonnes of new chalk being poured in and tamped down by hand.

Regarding the giant's most impressive feature:

The Giant has been described as "renowned for its manhood", "markedly phallic", "sexually explicit" and "ithyphallic". The Giant sports an erection, including its testicles, some 11 metres (36 feet) long, and nearly the length of its head. It has been called "Britain's most famous phallus"; one commentator noted that postcards of the Giant were the only indecent photographs that could be sent through the English Post Office. However, this feature may also have changed over time. From a review of historical depictions of the figure, it has been identified that the Giant's current large erection is, in fact, the result of merging a circle representing his navel with a smaller penis during a 1908 re-cut: the navel still appears on a late 1890s picture postcard.

If you want to know more:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant

[Dee]

Interactive Giant...

In 1998, pranksters made a pair of jeans out of plastic mesh with a 21-metre (69 ft) inside leg, and fitted them to the giant to publicise American Jeans manufacturer Big Smith.



In 2002, the BLAC advertising agency on behalf of "... the Family Planning Association (FPA) as part of its mission to promote condom-wearing [..] donned balaclavas and spent Sunday night rolling the enormous latex sheet down the Giant's member."

As a publicity stunt for the opening of The Simpsons Movie on 16 July 2007, a giant Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was outlined in water-based biodegradable paint to the left of the Cerne Abbas giant. This act displeased local neopagans, who pledged to perform rain magic to wash the figure away.



An August 2007 report, in the Dorset Echo said that a man claiming to be the "Purple Phantom" had painted the Giant's penis purple, for the campaign 'Fathers 4 Justice'.



In 2012, pupils and members of the local community recreated the Olympic torch on the Giant, to mark the passing of the official torch in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.




In November 2013, the National Trust supported Movember, which raises awareness of prostate and testicular cancer. It authorised the temporary placement of a huge grass moustache on the giant.

[NurseRatched]

Dee:

If you want to know more:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant

LOL~However, it's nice to know this ancient chalk figure has a more robust social life than me It's hilarious that he's involved in all kinds of shenanigans!

[Dee]

I know... it's part of the course, really. Like all land art/street art.

There are quite a few hill figures still visible and regularly maintained in England. Most seem to date back to the 18th/19th century, but the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire dates back around 1000BC.

[Lori]

Funny how this place seems to cycle back to appendages...