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King Kong
- Thread starter Mr Zippy
- Start date
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Hi Mr Zippy
I thought I had covered the reason why the statue of King Kong was commisioned in the "Whatever happened to King Kong" thread. These are the reasons that were given.
"In the early 1972 The Peter Stuyvesant Foundation commissioned Nicholas Munroe to design a statue of King Kong the giant ape of movie fame from 1933. This being a commission for The City of Birmingham Sculpture Project."
I hope this helps you with what you want to know.
Phil
I thought I had covered the reason why the statue of King Kong was commisioned in the "Whatever happened to King Kong" thread. These are the reasons that were given.
"In the early 1972 The Peter Stuyvesant Foundation commissioned Nicholas Munroe to design a statue of King Kong the giant ape of movie fame from 1933. This being a commission for The City of Birmingham Sculpture Project."
I hope this helps you with what you want to know.
Phil
Sorry, I meant to ask why King Kong - no obvious connection with Birmingham. Or was the sculpture project anything goes?
A colleagues visit to the Lake District has provoked this by the way. We thought perhaps there was some connection with the film.
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Mr Zippy
Why? who knows the workings of the combined minds of Birmingham City Council, but these were the ground rules of the 1972 Birmingham City Sculpture Project. I think the sculptors were more or less given a free hand after being told where their works would be displayed.
The City Sculpture project aimed to give sculptors the opportunity to make works in relation to the sites on which they were to be shown and to give the public sufficient time to come to a reasoned evaluation of these sculptures in their environment.
Quite how Manzoni Gardens relates to King Kong I'm afraid I can't say, but it was an enjoyable statue and if it were to return to Birmingham I think it would receive a warm welcome.
Phil
Why? who knows the workings of the combined minds of Birmingham City Council, but these were the ground rules of the 1972 Birmingham City Sculpture Project. I think the sculptors were more or less given a free hand after being told where their works would be displayed.
The City Sculpture project aimed to give sculptors the opportunity to make works in relation to the sites on which they were to be shown and to give the public sufficient time to come to a reasoned evaluation of these sculptures in their environment.
Quite how Manzoni Gardens relates to King Kong I'm afraid I can't say, but it was an enjoyable statue and if it were to return to Birmingham I think it would receive a warm welcome.
Phil
Lloyd
master brummie
Sadly I think that like another fibreglass statue, "Forward", it would ultimately get vandalised and burnt.
Phil
Gone, but not forgotten.
Lloyd you are probably quite right, but what I would like to know is why these vandalism crimes are never caught on all these cctv cameras? The trouble is they are all watching the motorists.
Anyway King Kong could be on a pedestal high up where he can't be reached. Perhaps a mock up of the Empire State Building.
Phil
Anyway King Kong could be on a pedestal high up where he can't be reached. Perhaps a mock up of the Empire State Building.
Phil
Brummiegal
master brummie
Just the other day I was thinking this statue. But i have wondered about it for a very long time!
I recall a king kong statue situated on the Bristol Road on the garage roof on one of the large houses directly opposite King Edwards School.
Does anyone else remember this???
I used to sit on the bus & wonder why someone would put this on the roof!! I'd be worried it would crashing through.
I think it was in the early 1980's as that was when i started work & caught the bus home.
I recall a king kong statue situated on the Bristol Road on the garage roof on one of the large houses directly opposite King Edwards School.
Does anyone else remember this???
I used to sit on the bus & wonder why someone would put this on the roof!! I'd be worried it would crashing through.
I think it was in the early 1980's as that was when i started work & caught the bus home.
Alf
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Try the Search Box at the top of the page I found this there and more. Plenty of photos
https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=611&highlight=king+kong
https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=611&highlight=king+kong
Brummiegal
master brummie
Thanks for the thread Alf. Enjoyed the pics, i think i do recall him in the gardens at the back of the shops. However i think the one on the bristol is a different one. Looking at the pics of the people next to him he is HUGE no way would he have stood on the Bristol Road & i don't recall him been that BIG!!!
Perhaps the people who lived there had a replica made when the original left for Scotland?????
Perhaps the people who lived there had a replica made when the original left for Scotland?????
brumgum
Proud to be a Brummie!
I was just thinking about King Kong and what a great scoop it would be for Brum to bring him back, anyone know the latest as i know there have been several atempts to bring him back but nothing has ever become of it. I think to locate him somewhere in the market's area would be a great idea.
