My run in with art...

On Sunday my friend Wendy and I went to our friend Lulu's home to practice Chinese. Learning the language is challenging so having conversation (very limited though it may be) is really helpful. On my way home I rode my bike past this little park that has this great display of sculptures that line the sidewalk around one corner of the park. I have gone by this park many times but decided today was the day to have a look. Since there was no one around, I stayed on my bike and slowly looked at the artwork.

Now you may be thinking that "My run in with art" means I saw some great art in Kaohsiung. Well, yes, I did but that's not quite what I meant. When I say run in I literally mean I had a run in with art.

Picture this...I'm meandering along, reading all of the info cards (these are a few I saw along the way) but I decided to stay on my bicycle since there was no one else there. I just leaned in to read the cards and check out the artwork.

 Many of the sculptures represent the deities and legends of Taiwan.

 This big boy holding the wheat represents a full and happy life. Perfect actually!

 This one above is very cool...the five buns on top of the head represent inner wisdom. The sharp sword means delicate intelligence and the lion represents facing all of life's challenges without fear. 

This is where things got interesting. As I was looking at one big piece of art that had arms extending out (I don't have a picture of it and you'll know why in a minute), a couple came by with their dog. Like many dog owners here, their fluffy little bundle was not on a leash. Now remember, I was on my bike and stopping at each sculpture to read and admire. I was leaning toward the arms out sculpture reading the info when little Fido came towards me. The dog jumped up on my leg saying hello but it surprised me. I was already leaning to the side and this send my center of gravity even further in that direction. I was heading for a fall but I instinctively reached out to grab whatever would stop that fall. Yup, you guessed it. I wrapped my arms around that statue and quickly realized that it was not attached to the pedestal. The few hundred pound 3 foot wide statue was going to come down with me.

Now you know when something like this happens a million things flash through your mind? "Will this thing crush me if it falls on me?" "Will I break a precious piece of artwork?" "Will I break something in my fall?" As these flew through my mind I released the sculpture and landed quite softly on the grass. Not hurt and no statue on top of me - Phew!

I looked over at the statue and it was still perched on the pedestal but instead of it reaching out parallel to the sidewalk, the statue was perpendicular and reaching out over the sidewalk. Try as I might I could not turn that sucker so I looked around and realized that no one had seen my tumble. How is this even possible in a city with this many people and with a couple walking by? The dog couple was busy looking at the artwork and Fido was now by their side. Either they didn't notice or they were looking away to save me from embarrassment. 

I got back on my bicycle and made my way around the rest of the exhibit. When I turned the corner, I realized that there was an attendant who was stationed there at the exhibit. She was on her phone and hadn't seen a thing. How long will it take for her to notice that one of the pieces is not quite where it should be? I snapped a few more photos as I "walked" my bike around the exhibit. 

As I quickly made my escape, this guy seemed to be giving me a look of disapproval. Oh well, at least the sculpture didn't fall on the ground. Yikes! I may have a guardian angel after all!