Post by QPR Report on Oct 27, 2009 6:56:26 GMT
I saw reference on WATRB but didn't read articles re it till just now. This is Mittal wasting "Our" money which could better be spent on QPR! 
Telegraph of Indian
Chance to build a Mittal Monument in London
AMIT ROY
An artist’s impression of the tower
London, Oct. 25: To the many iconic buildings of Indian interest in London — from Big Ben to the Tower of London, London Eye and Selfridges — may be added a new one: the Mittal Monument.
The planning is in the early stages but the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wants to leave behind an architectural legacy to celebrate the 2012 Olympics but one that will inspire awe long after he is gone.
Boris has approached a number of likely sources of income, among whom Lakshmi Mittal is bound to figure as one of the usual suspects though the Indian steel tycoon’s name has not been officially confirmed.
According to a spokesperson for Boris, visitors associate big cities with their iconic buildings — “when people go to Paris, they think of the Eiffel Tower”.
Indian visitors to the UK — and the numbers have escalated to a million a year — like to be photographed in front of Big Ben, see the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the Tower of London, and catch a view of the sprawling city from the slowly revolving Eye. Selfridges, the famous department store in Oxford Street, is traditionally where wives shop till their husbands drop.
The spokesperson would not comment on whether Mittal had been approached but told The Sunday Telegraph, London: “The mayor is keen to see stunning, ambitious, world-class art in the Olympic Park and has been working with the Olympic Delivery Agency over many months to explore a series of commissioning projects. The mayor is also in touch with prominent figures in the art establishment and philanthropists about taking these forward and getting private backing.”
In many ways, it would be in Mittal’s interest to be seen to be doing something for Britain, since he and his family enjoy living in London. But his ArcelorMittal steel empire, though global, does not actually have a plant in the UK.
Boris, it is thought, has sought £15 million for his pet project, though the appeal comes at a time when Mittal is still recovering from the sharp drop in steel prices.
As to what the structure might look like is not known though an artist’s impression, published today by the Sunday Times, “is not what it may be like”, his spokesperson said.
The paper insisted that “the magnificent edifice will be put up in the capital’s Olympic Park in time for the 2012 Games and will be funded by the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal — Britain’s richest man”.
A panel is said to be considering five shortlisted artists for the commission, among them sculptor Anish Kapoor.
One early design apparently features “a 400ft structure resembling a cross between a pylon and a native American totem pole. It would mirror the 436ft arch above Wembley Stadium on the other side of London”.
The Sunday Telegraph has also run a story with a quote from a source close to Boris: “He wants to build something quite stunning in its ambition, like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty — a tribute to London that people will fall in love with.”
There was another quote from “a friend of Mr Mittal, 59”, who informed the paper: “He loves living in London and wants to give something back to the city. The Olympics are obviously a very important event and he wants to be able to contribute to a legacy project that people will be able to enjoy for many years to come.”
www.telegraphindia.com/1091026/jsp/nation/story_11658594.jsp
Guardian
Boris Johnson's daft 'Eiffel tower' planThe London mayor wants to build an enormous monument in Stratford. It sounds like a folly of Olympic proportions
Jonathan Glancey guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 October 2009
You need to pinch and punch yourself to be sure this isn't 1 April. News that Boris Johnson is planning to build a £15m monument, in what appears to be his own honour – it couldn't be London's – in the grounds of the 2012 Austerity Olympics in Stratford, must surely be a joke. This is the kind of thing you'd expect from a Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il or, of course Shelley's "Ozymandias" (Ramesses the Great), but not an elected mayor of London in the second decade of the 21st century.
The tower is, apparently, to be funded by the richest man in Britain, Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian-born steel magnate. The Telegraph of Calcutta has understandably dubbed the potty project the Mittal Monument, rather than the more appropriate Johnson's Folly, and has published an artist's impression of the proposal in the guise of an enormous, rust-red electricity pylon – a symbol, I suppose, of how Britain's attitude to industry and the economy in general, is viewed by more dynamic countries overseas.
It's hard to know if the Indian newspaper is taking the mickey or not, and indeed hard to believe that Johnson or his press department can be serious. This is especially true when Johnson talks of building a monument to rival the Eiffel tower, the showpiece of the 1889 Exposition Universelle and, ever since, a popular symbol of Paris. The Eiffel tower cost around 8 million francs, or at least £33m in today's figures, although given absolute increases over the ensuing 120 years in the prices of labour and materials, the cost of building a new Eiffel tower would be very much higher than this. The London Eye, completed a decade ago, cost £75m, which suggests an Eiffel tower would be more expensive again, and so, no matter how generous, Mittal's £15m won't go far to meet Johnson's vaulting ambition.
London, and its mayors, should have learned from the mistakes of such inane follies as the £1bn Millennium Experience to steer well clear of overweening monumentalism. London is a city of many modest monuments, from the City churches of Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor to the 1930s underground stations commissioned by Frank Pick, chief executive of the London Passenger Transport Board from the architect Charles Holden, two modest men who turned down knighthoods and were paid no bonuses for the great contribution they made to the workings and appearance of everyday London.
It seems significant, too, that this year's Stirling prize for architecture, an event taken seriously by those keen on the most fashionable contemporary landmark buildings, was awarded not to a monumental building but to the gentle and subtle Maggie's Centre, for Cancer care, by London's Charing Cross hospital. Times have clearly changed, although not, it seems, for the mayor of London.
Perhaps, though, Johnson's head has been turned as much by Mittal's millions, as by a joint initiative between the Arts Council and London 2012 that also seems like one monumental joke. This initiative is called – and I'm not making this up, I hope – "Artists taking the lead" – although you may want to replace the final word with another of four letters. In this case, £5.4m is to be spent on 12 "extraordinary artworks" up and down the country to celebrate the 2012 Olympics. Announced on 21 October, the magnificent dozen includes three hand-crocheted 30ft lions for Nottingham, a "monumental spinning column of cloud and light" in Birkenhead and a gigantic Lady Godiva puppet for the west Midlands. Meanwhile, "an abandoned DC-9 aeroplane will 'nest' in locations across Wales, and be transformed and animated the local communities who take ownership of it."
Given all this, and still being unsure of whether or not Johnson or the Arts Council is being in any way serious, I recommend that Mark Wallinger's giant white horse should be erected not in Ebbsfleet, Kent, but in the Olympic park and named "Maybe it's a big horse ... I'm a Londoner" in honour of Johnson and the great 2012 event. Either that, or perhaps Mittal could be persuaded to stump up for a giant white elephant with the head of Mayor Johnson crowned with the satirical 2012 London Olympics logo.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/boris-johnson-monument-eiffel-tower
Telegraph of Indian
Chance to build a Mittal Monument in London
AMIT ROY
An artist’s impression of the tower
London, Oct. 25: To the many iconic buildings of Indian interest in London — from Big Ben to the Tower of London, London Eye and Selfridges — may be added a new one: the Mittal Monument.
The planning is in the early stages but the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wants to leave behind an architectural legacy to celebrate the 2012 Olympics but one that will inspire awe long after he is gone.
Boris has approached a number of likely sources of income, among whom Lakshmi Mittal is bound to figure as one of the usual suspects though the Indian steel tycoon’s name has not been officially confirmed.
According to a spokesperson for Boris, visitors associate big cities with their iconic buildings — “when people go to Paris, they think of the Eiffel Tower”.
Indian visitors to the UK — and the numbers have escalated to a million a year — like to be photographed in front of Big Ben, see the Koh-i-Noor diamond in the Tower of London, and catch a view of the sprawling city from the slowly revolving Eye. Selfridges, the famous department store in Oxford Street, is traditionally where wives shop till their husbands drop.
The spokesperson would not comment on whether Mittal had been approached but told The Sunday Telegraph, London: “The mayor is keen to see stunning, ambitious, world-class art in the Olympic Park and has been working with the Olympic Delivery Agency over many months to explore a series of commissioning projects. The mayor is also in touch with prominent figures in the art establishment and philanthropists about taking these forward and getting private backing.”
In many ways, it would be in Mittal’s interest to be seen to be doing something for Britain, since he and his family enjoy living in London. But his ArcelorMittal steel empire, though global, does not actually have a plant in the UK.
Boris, it is thought, has sought £15 million for his pet project, though the appeal comes at a time when Mittal is still recovering from the sharp drop in steel prices.
As to what the structure might look like is not known though an artist’s impression, published today by the Sunday Times, “is not what it may be like”, his spokesperson said.
The paper insisted that “the magnificent edifice will be put up in the capital’s Olympic Park in time for the 2012 Games and will be funded by the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal — Britain’s richest man”.
A panel is said to be considering five shortlisted artists for the commission, among them sculptor Anish Kapoor.
One early design apparently features “a 400ft structure resembling a cross between a pylon and a native American totem pole. It would mirror the 436ft arch above Wembley Stadium on the other side of London”.
The Sunday Telegraph has also run a story with a quote from a source close to Boris: “He wants to build something quite stunning in its ambition, like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty — a tribute to London that people will fall in love with.”
There was another quote from “a friend of Mr Mittal, 59”, who informed the paper: “He loves living in London and wants to give something back to the city. The Olympics are obviously a very important event and he wants to be able to contribute to a legacy project that people will be able to enjoy for many years to come.”
www.telegraphindia.com/1091026/jsp/nation/story_11658594.jsp
Guardian
Boris Johnson's daft 'Eiffel tower' planThe London mayor wants to build an enormous monument in Stratford. It sounds like a folly of Olympic proportions
Jonathan Glancey guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 October 2009
You need to pinch and punch yourself to be sure this isn't 1 April. News that Boris Johnson is planning to build a £15m monument, in what appears to be his own honour – it couldn't be London's – in the grounds of the 2012 Austerity Olympics in Stratford, must surely be a joke. This is the kind of thing you'd expect from a Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il or, of course Shelley's "Ozymandias" (Ramesses the Great), but not an elected mayor of London in the second decade of the 21st century.
The tower is, apparently, to be funded by the richest man in Britain, Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian-born steel magnate. The Telegraph of Calcutta has understandably dubbed the potty project the Mittal Monument, rather than the more appropriate Johnson's Folly, and has published an artist's impression of the proposal in the guise of an enormous, rust-red electricity pylon – a symbol, I suppose, of how Britain's attitude to industry and the economy in general, is viewed by more dynamic countries overseas.
It's hard to know if the Indian newspaper is taking the mickey or not, and indeed hard to believe that Johnson or his press department can be serious. This is especially true when Johnson talks of building a monument to rival the Eiffel tower, the showpiece of the 1889 Exposition Universelle and, ever since, a popular symbol of Paris. The Eiffel tower cost around 8 million francs, or at least £33m in today's figures, although given absolute increases over the ensuing 120 years in the prices of labour and materials, the cost of building a new Eiffel tower would be very much higher than this. The London Eye, completed a decade ago, cost £75m, which suggests an Eiffel tower would be more expensive again, and so, no matter how generous, Mittal's £15m won't go far to meet Johnson's vaulting ambition.
London, and its mayors, should have learned from the mistakes of such inane follies as the £1bn Millennium Experience to steer well clear of overweening monumentalism. London is a city of many modest monuments, from the City churches of Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor to the 1930s underground stations commissioned by Frank Pick, chief executive of the London Passenger Transport Board from the architect Charles Holden, two modest men who turned down knighthoods and were paid no bonuses for the great contribution they made to the workings and appearance of everyday London.
It seems significant, too, that this year's Stirling prize for architecture, an event taken seriously by those keen on the most fashionable contemporary landmark buildings, was awarded not to a monumental building but to the gentle and subtle Maggie's Centre, for Cancer care, by London's Charing Cross hospital. Times have clearly changed, although not, it seems, for the mayor of London.
Perhaps, though, Johnson's head has been turned as much by Mittal's millions, as by a joint initiative between the Arts Council and London 2012 that also seems like one monumental joke. This initiative is called – and I'm not making this up, I hope – "Artists taking the lead" – although you may want to replace the final word with another of four letters. In this case, £5.4m is to be spent on 12 "extraordinary artworks" up and down the country to celebrate the 2012 Olympics. Announced on 21 October, the magnificent dozen includes three hand-crocheted 30ft lions for Nottingham, a "monumental spinning column of cloud and light" in Birkenhead and a gigantic Lady Godiva puppet for the west Midlands. Meanwhile, "an abandoned DC-9 aeroplane will 'nest' in locations across Wales, and be transformed and animated the local communities who take ownership of it."
Given all this, and still being unsure of whether or not Johnson or the Arts Council is being in any way serious, I recommend that Mark Wallinger's giant white horse should be erected not in Ebbsfleet, Kent, but in the Olympic park and named "Maybe it's a big horse ... I'm a Londoner" in honour of Johnson and the great 2012 event. Either that, or perhaps Mittal could be persuaded to stump up for a giant white elephant with the head of Mayor Johnson crowned with the satirical 2012 London Olympics logo.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/26/boris-johnson-monument-eiffel-tower