...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

“Art” that’s da bomb—literally: A silly “artist” who sculpted a bomb that unleashed havoc has had the last laugh. From the Globe and Mail:

When Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson planted his fake-bomb "sculpture" outside the Royal Ontario Museum last year, he wanted people to "recontextualize" it; to ruminate on how the meaning of an artwork can change based on where it is shown.

Instead, people took Mr. Jonsson's work for exactly what it appeared to be - a bomb left outside a busy, landmark building, in the heart of a major Western city, in the midst of a security conscious era - and did what anyone might do.

They called the police.

And thus began the recontextualizing of Mr. Jonsson, from aspiring artist to accused criminal. In his artsy clothes and narrow black tie, the former visa student from Iceland was an improbable sight in a grotty downtown Toronto courtroom yesterday, where Judge William Bassel spared him a career-limiting criminal record, but not before letting him know what he thought of his project.

"I'd call it stupid," the judge said, "really a stupid act, even for a young person."

Assistant Crown attorney John Flaherty argued that Mr. Jonsson - who withdrew from the Ontario College of Art and Design and moved back to Iceland after the incident - deserved a criminal conviction for mischief interfering with property, due to the colossally disruptive consequences of his actions on the evening of Nov. 28, 2007.

The museum had to be evacuated, Bloor Street was closed while a police bomb squad neutralized the package, and a $600-a-plate gala fundraiser for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, scheduled for the ROM later that evening, had to be cancelled.

But Clayton Ruby, Mr. Jonsson's defence lawyer, persuaded the judge that the young artist has paid a substantial toll for his behaviour - losing his year at OCAD, is remorseful and has already made substantial amends. He volunteered 320 hours over the summer for an AIDS organization in Iceland - far more community service than any judge would typically order of an offender.

Mr. Jonsson, whose mother is an internationally renowned sculptor and whose father is an on-air host on Icelandic public television, also came to court yesterday with a pair of cheques for $2,500 each, made out to the ROM and to CANFAR.

Mr. Ruby also had his young client stand up and read out a written apology.

"I did not realize my sculpture would cause such problems," the tall, thin and lightly bearded Mr. Jonsson said. "I am sincerely sorry."

Judge Bassel accepted the apology, saying "it's obviously pretty sincere, in my books." While noting that "the extent of the harm done here was huge," and that "it was done by a young man, stupidly," the judge felt a criminal conviction - which could seriously hinder Mr. Jonsson from travelling away from Iceland, a tiny country of 320,000 - was not necessary.

And so the judge issued a conditional discharge and nine months probation. And with that, the young man, who has since resumed his studies in Iceland, stepped out of the Old City Hall courthouse, where he raised his arms in victory, lit a cigarette and declined comment…

Pretentious idiot. The judge should have recontextualized his sorry butt into jail.

Posted by: scaramouche at 10:10 | link | comments

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