Two weeks ago Detroit Mayor Dave Bing declined a Twitter suggestion that he erect a statue of RoboCop -- the half-cop, half-machine of the 1987 science-fiction movie -- in the Motor City. But the vigorous, chaotic energy of social media may make the statue a reality despite much criticism among Detroiters. ARTKABINETT art collector social network loves the movie; and adores Detroit. However, we are not sure about this sculptural installation.
First, came the Facebook page "Build a statue of RoboCop in Detroit," started by Detroiter John Leonard. That lead to a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to make a seven-foot iron statue of RoboCop. The money is flowing.
More than 1,100 backers have pledged over $21,000 toward a $50,000 goal, which needs to be raised by March 26. The statue would stand in the shadow of the cityís most infamous ruin, the former Michigan Central Station. If erected, it would coincide with the 25th anniversary of the movie release.
In a rare moment of internet pseudo-irony coming to real-life fruition, an online campaign has successfully raised $50,000 to build a RoboCop statue in the city of Detroit. Pete Hotlett, founder of Omni Consumer Products (the group building the statue), answered some critical questions about the Detroit Needs A RoboCop project and what the statue will look like:
Gun or no gun ?
Again, going back to the reasoning along the same lines as the Superman statue. Superman has deadly heat vision, and he uses it when necessary, but the concepts and ideals that he stands for are not irrevocably tied to the use of deadly force.
Not to argue semantics here, but have you seen Robocop? He shoots literally everyone in the movie, including multiple gaffers, production assistants, and the ìIíd buy that for a dollar!î What-TV-In-The-Future-Is guy. Building a RoboCop statue without a gun would be as pointless as building a statue of Wayne Gretzky without a gun. (If all statues had guns, thereíd be no statue crime!)
"RoboCop has become a very suitable icon to represent Detroit and deserves a place in this cityís history," reads the original RoboCop Facebook post. "As Detroit continues to redefine itself into the 21st century, please help to truly make this the coolest city on earth."
The problem is many detest the idea. The popular local blogger, Joe Posch, creator of Supergay Detroit, penned 10 reasons not to build the statue. "It is insulting to Detroit and to Detroiters who have lived here through the worst," Posch blogged. "The reason Detroit is the setting for RoboCop is because the city is considered a hellhole. The statue would serve as a perpetual reminder that Detroit holds the distinction of being the most believable dystopia in America."
Jerry Paffendorf, one of the RoboCop's campaign backers, says he is stunned by the passionate outcry against it. He says he is received dozens of e-mails to stop the campaign. "I don't know what to do with that," he says.
"In the end, I think its a very healthy dialogue about art, about the potential of online fund raising for art projects, and bringing more attention to Detroit."
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centres on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop". The film features Peter Weller, Dan O'Herlihy, Kurtwood Smith, Nancy Allen, Miguel Ferrer, and Ronny Cox.
The character of RoboCop itself was inspired by British comic book hero Judge Dredd as well as the Marvel Comics superhero Rom. A ROM comic book appears on screen during the film's convenience store robbery. Another ROM comic appears in a flashback of Murphy's son.
Although both Neumeier and Verhoeven have declared themselves staunchly on the political left, Neumeier recalls on the audio commentary to Starship Troopers that many of his leftist friends perceived RoboCop as a fascist movie. On the 20th Anniversary DVD, producer Jon Davison referred to the film's message as "fascism for liberals" - a politically liberal film done in the most violent way possible.
courtesy: Louis Aguilar, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
