Adrian's view of The Public
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Adrian writes:
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Like everyone who knows nothing about something, I will say of architecture that I know nothing about it, but I know what I like.Ìý And, at first sight I didn't much like The Public, but now I think the building is starting to make more sense.
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There is no point having a big new arts building anywhere if it doesn't turn a few heads.Ìý And you can't turn a few heads without dismaying a few of them.ÌýThe more I think about it "blimey, that's awful" isn't a bad starting point in anyone's relationship with anything.Ìý It was certainly what most viewers thought of me when I first started out as a television presenter.Ìý
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In fact, anything that looks good at first might not stand the test of time.Ìý An example is the ´óÏó´«Ã½ logo [I mean the black and white one we use now]: I remember being perplexed when the one we use now replaced the old colour one.Ìý Replacing colour with black and white!Ìý How was this progress?Ìý Now of course the old one looks laughably archaic.Ìý
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So, I think will grow on us though I wouldn't like to be in charge of planning permission at Sandwell council.Ìý Imagine the stick they're going to get when they next reject an application for a loft conversion or somesuch: "you won't let me put another bedroom in the top of my house, but you allow some clown to put that monstrosity up..."
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Have you visited The Public? Is it ugly or beautiful? Is there a building in your area that divides opinion? Tell us about it! Leave a comment in the box, below.
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