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Remembered (Processed) Sustenance

Posted by Roger Cullman / February 12, 2009

Police Horseshit litter the Remembered Sustenance sculptures by Metro Hall in TorontoThose cute rabbit-cow-dogs that you may have seen on the lawn near Metro Hall are producing a lot of waste. And it's about time somebody cleaned up after them.

Big mounds of defecation lay scattered around the 19 bronze sculptures grazing on what's left of the melting snow along the lawn at 55 John St. (at Wellington) south of Metro Hall.

Commissioned by the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto Marathon Realty Company, the herd is the work of Cynthia Short's 1992 art installation.

Judging by the size and amount of waste nearby, these creatures must have been grazing a lot this winter. Their field is far from a safe playground for children, as was intended by the artist.

Police Horseshit litter the Remembered Sustenance sculptures by Metro Hall in TorontoDigging a little deeper, I found this description for Remembered Sustenance, culled from Toronto ARTwalk (pdf):

"The inspiration for Remembered Sustenance is drawn from the location of the sculpture's site. Adjacent to an outdoor daycare playground the work has been created to convey the sense of playfulness and whimsy associated with children's stories and games.

"A group of bronze, non-specific-looking cartoon-like animals appear to be migrating in procession across the lawn, towards, then away from a curtain drawn by two birds. Below the curtain, a plate set in the ground holds a negative impression of the shape of a small
ballerina that might be found in a child's music box.

"This element represents the remembered experiences of childhood that the artist suggests can sustain us throughout our lives. Open and abundant with possibility of meaning, it is the artist's stated intention that the work should most of all be enjoyed by children."

Police Horseshit litter the Remembered Sustenance sculptures by Metro Hall in TorontoHow are children going to enjoy this work of art with so many huge clumps of poo in the way?

Who is responsible for picking up the horseshit left by Toronto police on horseback?I understand that animals have to make number two too, but can't we at least ensure that it's disposed of promptly?

Discussion

15 Comments

jamesmallon / February 12, 2009 at 10:01 pm
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Effing cops on their horses. Just why do we subject horses to the urban environment, and the urban environment to their $#!+? Don't think crowd control or PR are good enough reasons.
Jerrold / February 12, 2009 at 10:39 pm
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Crap!
Toronto gal / February 13, 2009 at 02:26 am
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Hilarious!
sar / February 13, 2009 at 07:49 am
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Horse poo makes excellent compost. I love the city's horses! And of all the poos you might come across, its the least offensive. It will be gone before you know it. I'd like to know what kids are playing in the mud these days anyway.
m / February 13, 2009 at 08:46 am
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I always thought the artist's choice of the number of dogs and their arrangement made a very blunt point. By occupying most of the area of the "parkette" on a token spot of green, the space was well marked as a functional loo for the local pets.
m / February 13, 2009 at 08:51 am
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Doh, I haven't had my coffee yet. The name of the art makes it very apparent, and I just read the last bit of the original post, so I get the gist of the post.

Yeah why don't the police have bags over the rear of their horses? Is that at all possible? The parks and bike lanes would be cleaner.
jen / February 13, 2009 at 10:13 am
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I've never understood why in this city, dog owners have to clean up after their animals but cops on horses don't. Like "m" suggested, why not just hang a bag on their bums? I see horse poo all the time just lying on the street...don't get it.

Thanks for the info on the art. I've always liked it and didn't know anything about it.
Christopher / February 13, 2009 at 10:49 am
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Any type of herbivore's poop makes great fertilizer.
Mind you, I do feel that the mounted police officers get away with poop & scoop problem a tad more blatantly than dog owners.
tee / February 13, 2009 at 10:58 am
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I love seeing the mounted police on patrol & dont mind the horses pooping everywhere.
Difference between dog & horse poo is that one is mostly meat & preservatives waste and the other is hay grass waste...so they break down differently. And which would you rather use as compost?
jen / February 13, 2009 at 12:48 pm
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Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the mounted police...their horses are gorgeous and it's cool to see these giant animals right next to cars on my walk to work. But you guys keep mentioning compost...nothing grows on King Street West and that's where I see it.
Roger / February 13, 2009 at 01:16 pm
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So it's obviously not the rabbit-cow-dogs that are producing all that waste. A few weeks ago I saw in the same spot about a square meter or two of yellow in the snow alongside the same huge clumps of brown. This was on a Monday, which leads me to suspect that the police on horseback that roam the Entertainment District on weekends use the Remembered Sustenance parkette as a dumping ground, if you'd mind the pun.
Roger replying to a comment from m / February 13, 2009 at 02:41 pm
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"Yeah why don't the police have bags over the rear of their horses? Is that at all possible? The parks and bike lanes would be cleaner."

Hm, diapers on horses? Sure, why not. It'll ruin their majestic beauty but keep the beauty of our streets intact. But they police would never go for it. I don't think they'd be into the diaper-changing every couple of hours.
Sar / February 13, 2009 at 04:33 pm
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They do make a type of "bag" that can be worn by the horse (eg: http://www.bunbag.com/) but perhaps the cops have reasons for not using them - the extra straps may hinder the animal's performance (eg. riot prevention, etc). I'm not sure. As an equestrian, I think they can make sense, so long as they don't impeded performance.
Parkdalian / February 13, 2009 at 05:05 pm
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Interesting how these scultures would not be necessarily used by kids but they're inspired by them(*that's ashame)

Also, great photo-op to make fun of these pieces, with coincidental horse manure along side them. Classy.

jen / February 13, 2009 at 05:28 pm
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I've only seen police on horses in full-out riot gear once, during an Iraq war protest. Other than that, they just seem to be doing traffic patrol in pairs.

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