A friend commented on Facebook that a sculpture in Plymouth was perfect for a selfie. It was a sailor outside an appropriately named pub and was part of a temporary street art exhibition commemorating Beryl Cook. There were four other witty sculptures dotted around the city centre; one of which we did use for a selfie with Andy. It turns out that’s partly what they were created for. The fun element perfectly capturing the spirit of Beryl Cook’s playful art.
As they’re only on display till July, I regret not sitting on a bench at the Hoe, pinching chips from the poke in the hands of another Beryl Cook sculpture. Both sailor and sea-gazing pair on the promenade bench were wasted opportunities.
I’m crap when it comes to selfies. As part of a generation where being asked to pose for a photo can prompt an expression that looks more like we’re facing a firing squad than a camera, they don’t tend to flatter (understatement). I’m far happier when there’s a prop . . . like a sculpture.
Some are obviously designed with interaction in mind. Portugal seems particularly good at these.
This one was in Madeira, where a chair beside Winnie invites people to join him to discuss the merits of his artwork.
The Portuguese like sculptures paired with chairs. The most famous example is of poet and writer Fernando Pessoa outside the equally famous A Brasileira in Lisbon. It’s such a popular selfie spot for the Portuguese, I don’t think the spare chair has ever been free long enough for me to get to park my backside beside Fernando.
I was far more successful with Setúbal’s silly pastiche called Choco Pessoa, in case anyone didn’t get the joke. We lived just outside of Setúbal, a town where every restaurant had to serve choco frito (fried cuttlefish) otherwise it might lose customers. It’s a bit like fish & chips in Britain.
Then there are those other statues, the ones where it’s almost obligatory to strike a certain pose. Who cares if the world and their dog do the same? Anyway, it’s a lot easier than trying to not look like a serial killer having their mugshot taken.
