A household appliance kept by an artist in an underpass has left people wondering whether it was an artwork or fly-tipping.
An anonymous street artist, @Athirty4 left a washing machine beneath Littlemore Roundabout, Oxford, sparking a debate as to how could this be a show of creativity.
@Athirty4 seems to have transformed the underpass into an exhibition area. “Please use this machine to cleanse your mind of all prejudices and negative preconceptions relating to contemporary art,” a handy notice on the wall beside the machine reads.
A day after the placement of the object, by Thursday, Oxford City Council removed the installation.
A self portrait down the Littlemore underpass #underpassart #gingerbreadman #streetart pic.twitter.com/lVISe2DSNs
— Under-Currents (@UCurrents) May 25, 2018
A council statement said: “The washing machine is blocking the public highway.
“If we leave it in place we’re effectively sanctioning it, which means we could be held liable for any injuries if, for example, a cyclist crashed into it at night.
“If the artist wants to create lasting public artwork in Oxford, they should get in touch with us.”
@Athirty4 told the Big Issue : “The washing machine was already there. I found it and recycled it in an imaginative way. I reused it with a sign that transforms the meaning of it.
“It becomes something else and gets people talking about something other than a washing machine. It has been called fly-tipping but you can see it however you want to see it, that’s fine by me.”
The idea was to give people something to think about while they walk through the otherwise “dreary” underpass.
It was, according to @Athirty4, a comment about our “throwaway culture”.
I suspect that some of you got the double meaning, with the recent personal data scandal. #facebookrow pic.twitter.com/wREMwWvi2z
— A34 (@Athirty4) May 9, 2018
The artist said most people seem to appreciate the works, but it always proves divisive. It’s a Marmite-like love hate thing.
@Athirty4 garnered coverage previously after replacing an Oxford street sign with ‘ Facebook Row’, an indication towards the recent personal data scandal.
Twitter Lane and Selfie Passage also appeared in other parts of the city.
