A sculptor, Peter Codling, has been making clay pebbles, courtesy of the Arts Council, local Portsmouth Council and sponsors fashioning clay into pebbles in his kiln, and throwing them into the waves of Southsea beach for the last 16 years. So far he has made some 500,000, but this funded ‘art’ will continue no more.
It appears that money has dried up from Peter’s various sources and he can no longer complete his artwork of making 1,000,000 pebbles and depositing them into the sea.
Sad news to some, including I am sure Peter himself, but a sigh of relief for others who believe that this is a waste of money.
Mr Codling who lives in Hampshire said ‘The pebbles have built up in the layers of the beach. Some could take 100 years to wash ashore and some will just get worn away. The idea is it would be subversively hidden there on the beach for other generations to find.’
I lovely thought, but one from an artist I fear, who is not a realist.
I do not know how much this has cost over 16 years, but at a very minimum of 10p per pebble this has so far cost £50,000, in reality I believe that it will be far more.
And is this not the issue – the cost of it all?
If this has in fact cost £50,000 and has gained the interest of ten of thousands of school kids and their parents and this has given them some excitement in their day then I guess it’s worth it, but as an entertainment rather than art.
If it’s cost £500,000 and has not garnered the interest of the community, apart from in a scathing manner, then it is a waste of time.
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