No, it's not part of the sewer system, it's Vladas Urbanavičius' "Arka" sculpture, now set to be a permanent feature alongside the Neris River in Vilnius. Photo by Nathan Greenhalgh.
VILNIUS — One legacy of the Vilnius European Capital of Culture year already cemented in place is sculptures.
With the advent of the new year, the Vilnius European Capital of Culture 2009 decorations are being taken down, but some are here to stay. While the yellowish-green wooden sculptures with event information are going, the three sculpture on the river — Mindaugas Navakas’ “Dviaukštis” sculpture, Roberto Antinio’s “Puskalnis” and Vladas Urbanavičius’ “Arka” will be given to the Vilnius municipality.
“The sculptures are not only works of art, but also assets, so they will now be taken care of by the municipality,” Vilnius — European Capital of Culture 2009 Director Rolandas Kvietkauskas said in a statement to the press.
The three sculptures are estimated to cost about 250,000 litai (€72,000) annually to maintain.
That “Arka”…
Maybe Vilnius can use this money better to pay for the electricity bills for street lights and the trolleybus first . The “art” can be sold, the prices for scrap metal are skyhigh at the moment.
That is junk just like the people who ran the European Capital of Culture 2009