Normally when nontextual matter is account as “ severe , ” it have in mind it challenges the viewer to reckon and sense outside their comfortableness zona . But here are nine patch of artistic creation that were not only emotionally dangerous , but physically as well .
1. The Umbrellas
Dddeco , Wikimedia Commons//CC BY - SA 3.0
Starting in the 1960s , married environmental artists Christo and Jeanne - Claude trip the mankind , creating graphics that took over and redefined landscape like the Rocky Mountains in Colorado , a bridge in Paris , and New York City ’s Central Park . One of their most challenging projects wasThe Umbrellas , a simultaneous facility of 3,100 19 - foot tall , metal and fabric umbrella setup across California and Japan in the autumn of 1991 . The nontextual matter was a huge tourist attractor , with an estimated 3 million visitant during its brief stay .
However , Christo and Jeanne - Claude terminate the display earlier than planned after the tragic decease of Lori Keevil - Matthews , a 33 - twelvemonth quondam adult female in California , who was jam when a strong wind blew over one of the nearly-500 - pound umbrella . Tragedy struck again during the dismantling process when Masaaki Nakamura , a 51 - year old man in Japan , was fry after the arm of the crane he was operating hit an overhead magnate line .
2. Dreamspace V
Andy Miah , Flickr //CC BY - SA 2.0
Created in 1996 by artist Maurice Algis , Dreamspace Vwas an 8,200 - solid infantry inflatable internet of translucent , polyurethan prison cell , large enough for mass to walk through and research . The interactive art toured the humankind for ten problem - detached age , receiving K of visitors , until an inauspicious accident on July 23 , 2006 .
During an outside festival at Riverside Park in Chester - le - Street , England , a strong blast of idle words from an approaching thunderstorm lifted the structure , snap ropes that were meant to keep it tethered to the ground . One cell phone video and multiple closed - electrical circuit television camera at the land site recordedDreamspace Vas it was shortly chuck out around like a rag doll before coming to roost against one camera ’s celestial pole , which many think was the only reasonableness it stopped . There were 30 people inside the sculpture at the clip , resulting in a dozen injuries , including a 3 - year one-time lady friend who had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital ( thankfully , she go ) . Sadly , there were also two fatalities - Claire Furmedge ( 38 ) and Elizabeth Collings ( 68 ) . After a prolonged judicature battle , Agis was exonerate of manslaughter charges , though he did have to pay a £ 10,000 fine for violating guard regulations . Here ’s a grainyCBS News videoof the fortuity .
3 & 4.Sculpture No. 3andReading Cones
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When you ’re an artist whose primary medium is solid steel weigh G of pound , instal your artwork is not an easy task . Such is the pillowcase for sculptor Richard Serra , whose giant star , alloy masterpiece can be reckon all over the mankind , including New York , Paris , and as the only permanent exposition at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao ( at 180 net ton , who ’d want to move it ? ) . To put his conception in place , professional steelworkers are employed to ensure everything is done safely ; however , accidents do happen .
On November 18 , 1975 , at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis , workers were installing Serra’sSculpture No . 3 , consist of two 8 - metrical unit solid steel photographic plate matter over 5,000 pound each . During the construction , one of the reenforcement couple holding the plates broke , causing the sheet alloy to fall on contractor Raymond Johnson . Johnson ’s widow litigate the artist and the company installing the composition , but both were exonerated of any negligence . However , she did receive a judgment of over $ 500,000 from the steel fibber that actually created the carving pieces , when it was determined they took a shortcut making the living brace that snapped .
Another Serra piece , Reading Cones , fell on two proletarian in a New York heading after heavy - obligation jacks malfunctioned during the process of dismantling the sculpture in 1988 . The art object , consisting of two slightly curved , 32,000 - Syrian pound plates , pinned both men to the floor , crushing one man ’s leg below the knee . When the plate fall , it also give away two of the building ’s nine support beams , force the evacuation of everyone inside until repairs could be made to the now - sagging 2nd floor .
5. Blue Mustang
Bo Insogna , Flickr //CC BY - NC - ND 2.0
If you ’ve fly into Denver ’s International Airport in the last few years , you doubtlessly noticed the hulk , bluish horse with glowing cerise eyes outside the main terminal . Blue Mustangis a 32 - foot tall , 9,000 - pound fiberglass sculpture made by famed artist Luis Jimenez . First commissioned in 1992 , the part was delayed for year due to a necessary redesign of the home support social structure , as well as issues with the artist ’s wellness . Then , on June 13 , 2006 , after finally completing the second of three section of the statue , a chain broke on the crane used to run up the small-arm to another part of the studio apartment for safekeeping . The section fell , pin Jimenez underneath , and severing his femoral arteria . The statue was finished under the supervision of his family and lastly installed at the airport in February 2008 . Almost as soon as it was bring out at the airport , many Denverites began lobbying for the statue ’s removal . These detractors say they ’re touch by the diabolical steed . Some also believe it could be imprecate thanks to its part in Jimenez ’s death .
- England ’s press cutting - edge nontextual matter museum , The Tate Modern , is the most democratic New prowess picture gallery in the world , with 4.7 million multitude slip by through the repurposed abandoned power plant every year . Of those millions , a surprisingly high number are injured by the experimental , interactive graphics pieces , costing the drift nearly £ 27,000 in medical claims since 2000 . Here are some renowned example . * * *
6. Bodyspacemotionthings
Artist Richard Morris’Bodyspacemotionthings , the Tate Gallery ’s first interactive art experience , uncover in 1971 , provide visitors to toy on stand - up see - saws , swing on Mexican valium , and stray around in elephantine , concrete electron tube . It was a vast collision , welcoming 2,500 citizenry in its first four days . However , those were also the last four days .
The installation was exclude down when , as one guard put it , “ they run low blooming brainsick . ” Not only were there legion underage hurt , like splinter from wooden slide and bruise prat after falling off trilled log , but the crowd was so rambunctious that they leave the exhibit in shambling . But none of this stopped the museum from reviving the event in 2009 , using modern design and construction materials that were meant to be safer and more lively . Still , 23 people were hurt in the new initiation ’s first week , citing everything from forget me drug burns , cutting and bruises , and nous injury .
7. Test Site
think locomote down the playground slide at recess when you were a kid ? It was middling exciting , huh ? Now imagine the playground slide is 180 - feet long and five stories mellow . That was the construct ofTest Siteby artist Carston Höller , who installed five slides of varying lengths inside the massive Turbine Gallery at the Tate . During their display , from October 2006 until April 2007 , well over 500,000 people use up a ride in the stainless sword tubes , roar with glee all the way down . Well , most of them were yowl with glee anyway . Five people walk by with middling stern injuries , including one woman who break multiple os in her hand , making it impossible for her to act upon for closely three months . She ended up suing the museum and have £ 3500 recompense for her troubles .
8. Shibboleth 2007
Visitors to the Tate between October 2007 and April 2008 witnessed an showing calledShibboleth 2007 , a 548 - foot long crack in the concrete level of the gallery . The fracture was meant to symbolize the cultural and racial watershed between mass and , when the exhibit was over , filled - in to show an emotional and physical scrape left behind . After the exhibit ran its course , the Tate was scarred , but so were the 15 people that trip up on the crack during its tenure . Most were not serious wound – mostly venial articulatio talocruralis and human knee sprains - though four call were severe enough to receive monetary recompense from the museum .
9. Sunflower Seeds
Over 100 million handmade , porcelain seeds covered the storey of the Tate ’s Turbine Hall in October 2010 as an exhibit calledSunflower Seedsby Chinese artist Ai Weiwei . Ai ’s purpose was for multitude to physically interact with the seeds by walking over them , peck them up , and posture on them , while contemplating everything from aggregated ingestion to shortage . In the first day , 14,000 visitors follow through the exhibit ; however , it was because of the show ’s popularity that it was closed after only two days . The museum became concerned that the bunch were kicking up too much porcelain dust , which could be harmful if inhaled . expert say visitor would have to be exposed to the junk for many hour to have even the slightest harmful side - core , but with all the other wellness claims the museum has receive , they were n’t taking any prospect . The initiation remain in place and could be reckon from afar , but the days of playing in a sea of seminal fluid was over .
