Though I grew up not very far from Brussels’ famed statue of a little peeing boy, I must confess that for some reason, I don’t think about urinating males (or females) all that often. Oh sure, I was perfectly happy to write about the Whizzinator half a year ago, a fake penis dispensing guaranteed drug-free urine. But on the whole, guys taking a leak is not a topic that commands my frequent attention.

Today, however, I find myself consumed by it. And it’s all the fault of a Czech sculptor who created a piece of public art featuring two animatronic males who move their hips and their penises (penii?) to write messages with their simulated pee, a.k.a. water.

Wait, it gets better: you can send a text message to a phone number inscribed at the sculpture’s base, and the two bronze figures will faithfully copy your every word.

Be sure to click on the Flash movies of the sculpture in action. It’s strangely hypnotic to watch, though perhaps not safe for work.

Why do the Europeans always get to have all the open-air bathroom fun? I’m actually half-serious here. For piss’ sakes, why do we as Americans get stuck on squirmingly discussing, ad infinitum, the merit in the work of Andres Serrano, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Chris Ofili, while on yonder shore art is allowed to be its shocking, silly, profound, or lighthearted self?

Further fuel for that thought is here, in a recent news report about an arguably less frivolous public statue: the 11-foot iteration of a very pregnant, very naked, and very handicapped British woman, Alison Lapper. The sculpture is prominently displayed in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Can you imagine either of these works on the Washington Mall, or even in Central Park? To ask the question is to answer it. So here’s a more open-ended one: Are we in any sense of the word a better country for firmly saying no to such, you know, degenerate art?

If you know the answer, I’m happy to hear it in the comments section of Nobody’s Business, where writing anything at all in bodily fluids is entirely optional.

[hat tip: BoingBoing]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2005 at 3:35 pm by Rogier van Bakel and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.