'This feels personal': Beloved Dallas whale wall mural painted over for World Cup display
Posted by lithdoc@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 31 comments
dchirs@reddit
It's really baffling that the North Texas Fifa World Cup Organizing Committee (https://www.dallasfwc26.com/home/our-team/) thought it was a good idea to permanently destroy the mural so that they could put up an ad for FIFA that isn't even going to be finished until well into the World Cup.
Did they not realize people would be upset by this? Did they just have unilateral authority on this or was Council involved?
JustMeInBigD@reddit
Did none of them know who Wyland is or the significance of the 100 Whaling Walls he painted in cities around the world?
This seems likely, and also sad that no one in the process knew or thought to tell them.
xomox2012@reddit
It’s less likely that and more so they are a greedy energy company and got a paycheck. It’s just money. It’s always money.
JustMeInBigD@reddit
Greed might be at play, but TXU doesn't own or occupy this building. It's owned by a Canadian real estate company.
dchirs@reddit
Agreed. I think they probably didn't know and didn't ask. Which is its own issue, that they're going to have to deal with now.
DennisSmithJrIsMyGod@reddit
And worst of all no one in Dallas really give a fuck about FIFA. I mean this politely too, but it’s all businesses and people chasing fan money…
CrimsonAllah@reddit
Imagine empowering a World Cup Committee to just go around painting buildings without any consideration of its historical value.
TheCowboyRidesAway@reddit
There are companies headquartered in Dallas who specialize in the full building banner advertisements that go over the walls. They could have easily done one for World Cup that would have covered the mural but left it intact. It might have cost less too.
Guson1@reddit
While I don’t agree with painting over it, the artist complaining just feels weirdly tacky
Vig_2@reddit
“Wyland said he intends to explore legal action against the new mural’s sponsors under the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990, which protects artists against the demolition or modification of legally placed artwork. It can be a hard statute to enforce, especially when artists don’t have the resources to take on building owners or corporations.
But Wyland feels that if he doesn’t try, “all other public art [will be] exposed.”
“They need to be taken down a couple notches. How arrogant can you get?” Wyland said. “We just can’t let them get away with it.”” —————————
I will donate to his cause if he needs help.
opinionsOnPears@reddit
Does he own the building the mural was painted? Who does own it? I would think it would be up to the owners of the building as to what mural they wanted painted on the side?
xomox2012@reddit
TXU Energy owns the building
CrimsonAllah@reddit
Bro needs a GoFundMe
p8nt_junkie@reddit
Is there a public forum or just donation?
tbear87@reddit
No better way to highlight a city for the world than to destroy local culture for soulless corporate goons to profit off of.
fadedblackleggings@reddit
Yup, fucking nightmare city.
xzelldx@reddit
I thought the mayor said he was a conservative now. I'm convinced now that has stopped meaning that they're trying to conserve anything and has to be something else.
Tralliz@reddit
This is Dallas culture! Slave to the corporations!
Impossible-Try-9161@reddit
Good thing that Dallas isn't the kind of place where this sort of vandalism begets counter-vandalism.
gamecat89@reddit
Literally my first thought. Thankful for it being such an upstanding city that definitely would not do anything to harm the new mural.
foxontherox@reddit
This is a fucking sin.
thejohncarlson@reddit
Just Dallas doin Dallas by destroying anything Dallas.
Severe-Post3466@reddit
I don't get why they didn't just do a temporary cover up
Hoopy_Dunkalot@reddit
They do this in Europe all the time.
ChicagoRay312@reddit
It makes absolutely zero sense. Every other building in the area has temporary cover ups. But this city council seems to be up for bid to the highest bidders.
rocksolidaudio@reddit
MAGA mayor seems to genuinely hate the people of Dallas for some reason
notquitegoldblum@reddit
I think it starts with a deep set hatred of himself, but yeah. He seems to hate everything except things that he thinks help on his quest to become white and powerful.
johnnyringo771@reddit
Too much like Austin if you keep beautiful art up.
Mnudge@reddit
Because our city council are soulless, incompetent and dim witted
Select_Insurance2000@reddit
WTF Dallas?
Ok-Goal-8767@reddit
Honestly didn’t realize a mural was there.