feeling listless

Art The traditional expectation of a restoration project involves a piece of ancient art -- 'The Last Supper' project springs to mind. But contemporary art, public art in particular is also under threat. Brancusi's 'Endless Common', so tall and so fragile was in danger until a massive preservation project began. This wasn't an easy exercise simply because of scale -- and a lack of clear management initially: "The protraction and delays had nothing to do with politics as understood in the great debates that have divided commissions in the past; rather, they resulted from practical considerations that arose during the project—above all, the realization, in 1999, that the controversial initial restoration scheme proposed by Radu Varia was based on false assumptions. Another factor was doubtless the monument’s location. Even today, Târgu Jiu is not easily accessible, and it is tempting to think that in 1937 its remoteness facilitated the erection of such an uncompromisingly hermetic monument, far from the conservative mindsets that inhibited commissions in larger centers. One cannot help thinking that many of the restoration’s unhappy moments might have taken a different course in a larger, more public arena."