The article discusses the process of creating a new artwork from a decommissioned Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Virginia. The monument was removed in 2017 after protests at the Unite the Right rally, which turned violent and resulted in the death of one person. The city council received proposals to obtain the statue, including one from an arts organization led by Hamza Walker and Kara Walker.
The article describes how the statue was cut into its constituent parts due to its large size and weight, with a third of it being removed so that it could be transported on two trucks. To create the new artwork, Kara Walker worked with fabricator Mike Koller to make a 3D digital scan of the statue, which allowed her to visualize potential configurations.
The final form of the new sculpture, titled "Unmanned Drone," is much simpler than the original and defies its original intention as a heroic figure. The article notes that Kara Walker's goal was to disrupt the original meaning and message of the statue, creating something that "wholly defies the original intention of the object."
The article describes how the statue was cut into its constituent parts due to its large size and weight, with a third of it being removed so that it could be transported on two trucks. To create the new artwork, Kara Walker worked with fabricator Mike Koller to make a 3D digital scan of the statue, which allowed her to visualize potential configurations.
The final form of the new sculpture, titled "Unmanned Drone," is much simpler than the original and defies its original intention as a heroic figure. The article notes that Kara Walker's goal was to disrupt the original meaning and message of the statue, creating something that "wholly defies the original intention of the object."
. So the city just decides to turn an old Confederate monument into some sort of avant-garde art piece? It's like, I get it, Kara Walker and Hamza Walker are super talented artists who want to challenge our perceptions of history and power structures. But at the same time, isn't this just a fancy way of erasing a painful part of American history? Like, don't we need to confront those painful moments head-on instead of trying to cover them up with some cool art project? And what's next? Turning old slave prisons into trendy coffee shops? It just feels like the wrong move to me 
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. It's like, we need more art like this that challenges our assumptions and makes us uncomfortable 
. Plus, can you imagine the conversations it'll spark at museums and galleries? Game. Changer. 
... I mean who would've thought taking down all that history and controversy and turning it into art lol. Kara Walker is definitely a genius 
for trying to create something from the wreckage, but at the same time it's kinda wild how much it's been altered from its original form... like is this still even recognizable as the Confederate monument now? I think what's interesting too is that she wanted to disrupt the meaning and message, which makes me wonder if this is some kind of commentary on how our perceptions can be manipulated by historical symbols 
. like, she took something that was meant to represent some kind of pride or heroism and turned it into something that's literally the opposite 
but at the same time it feels like they're just being super pretentious and trying too hard to be edgy 
i guess its kinda cool that they cut it up and made it into a drone tho 
It's wild that Kara Walker had to get a 3D digital scan made just because the statue was too big and heavy to move on its own. That sounds like some crazy tech wizardry right there! But at the same time, I'm kinda disappointed that the final sculpture is so different from the original... did she really have to take everything apart just to make it not be a symbol of hate anymore?
It's like, how do we move forward when there's still so much baggage from the past?
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? It's all part of the creative process, right? Can we expect more of these kinds of art pieces from historical symbols in the future? What are your thoughts on this whole thing?
it's like they took something meant to celebrate white supremacy and turned it into a drone... idk man what the point of this is. They cut it in half so it can be transported on trucks like it's some kind of trash, then Kara Walker has to digitally rework the whole thing just to "disrupt" its original message 
newsflash: it was already super problematic. I guess now it's just gonna sit somewhere and make people feel weird about a statue that already made them uncomfortable in 2017