A giant squirrel sculpture in Kazakhstan is causing controversy among some who think the $67,000 spent to build it could have been used to help community members instead.
The 40-foot sculpture made of straw and wood on a steel frame was built using $43,576 in public money as part of the Art Energy festival in Almaty, UPI reported.
The art piece was created by South African Marius Jansen van Vuuren and British artist Alex Rinsler.
In addition to criticizing the cost of the sculpture, others said it was a fire hazard that put festival-goers at risk, UPI reported.
Not everyone is critical of the statue, however; some praised the piece for making local children smile and bringing them “joy and delight,” the BBC reported.
Rinsler said the squirrel was meant to symbolize life in Almaty, particularly nature’s evolution from rural life to urban.
“Squirrels are our urban neighbors,” Rinsler said, the BBC reported. “Like us, they adapted to life in the city, and like us, they need the resources to survive and thrive.”
Van Vuuren and Rinsler also created a straw fox in Shanghai, UPI reported, and they said it was designed to change appearance as wind, water, and other natural forces act upon it.
The giant squirrel sculpture will be displayed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for at least the next nine months, the BBC reported.
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