Taiwanese artist Wu A-Sun's latest sculpture was supposed to decorate the front of a new Taipei skyscraper touted as the world's tallest building.
But the piece offended politicians, caused fears that it would bring bad luck for businesses and was finally dumped as trash.
The sculpture, "New New Hope," was a highly abstract work of art inspired by aboriginal and primitive designs. The four-story piece had three tree-like legs and was painted with green, yellow and blue Picasso-like shapes of fish and birds outlined in thick black lines.
"The piece symbolizes people coming together for the good of society," said the 60-year-old Wu, one of Taiwan's most celebrated contemporary painters and sculptors. It was a prestigious project because the developers of the nearly complete Taipei 101 skyscraper say the building will have the world's tallest structural top at 508 meters.
http://www.etaiwannews.com/Taiwan/2003/09/14/1063508529.htm