Thursday,
January 17, 2008
Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Protest
in
The
ANNOTICO Report
A
Half a Million multi-colored plastic balls were thrown and bounced down
"Even
when they protest, Italians can't help but create something beautiful",
laughed a tourist from
Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Protest
in
Reuters
Wed
Jan 16, 2008
The balls were
thrown down the steps and into a 17th-century fountain by Graziano
Cecchini, a 55-year old artist and right-wing
activist who last year dumped a can of dye in the nearby Trevi
fountain, turning it into a blood red pool.
"Italians'
balls are broken," was written on leaflets distributed at the scene.
Cecchini, who was later detained
by police along with three other protesters, said his was "an artistic
operation which shows, through art, the problems we have here in
"The colors
of the balls weren't chosen by accident. In fact, the majority
are red - I wanted people to remember the Trevi
fountain".
Wide-eyed
tourists and shopkeepers watched in disbelief as the balls were thrown from the
balcony of the
Shopkeeper Lucia
Russo sighed at the garbage trucks which quickly started to line up at the
scene to collect the balls.
"Yes, it's a
statement, yes, it looks nice, but let's spare a thought for the
cleaners," she said.
Others took a
more light-hearted approach. "Even when they protest, Italians can't help
but create something beautiful", laughed John Hyde, a tourist from
(Reporting by Liz
Rusbridger, editing by Paul Casciato)
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL1615306220080116
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