Imagine driving down the street and suddenly seeing a giant silver ball rolling towards you like the boulder from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – that’s what some motorists in London recently faced.
Strong winds had taken apart a public art display and the balls were sent careening down roadways.
“I think it probably was an engineering situation,” said public art expert Laura S. Griffith, who was not involved with that piece. “Had they thought about things differently through an engineering perspective, they might have been able to avoid that.”
Griffith, the Deputy Director of the Philadelphia-based Association for Public Art, joined Mike Rogers on the “Something Offbeat” podcast this week to explain what goes into making public art safe and why it is so important.
“It’s a reflection of our culture and our history, and it is out there for us all. We don’t need a ticket to see it. You don’t need admission,” she explained.
Go on a tour of public art – from runaway balls and giant tires to beloved murals and finger bridges – on this episode of the podcast that takes a deeper look at nearly unbelievable headlines.
You can start your week uncovering these stories with “Something Offbeat” when new episodes drop every Monday morning. Our current collection of episodes is also available on the Audacy app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
If you have suggestions for stories the podcast should cover, send them to us at somethingoffbeat@audacy.com.
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