PROTEST SCULPTURE WINS PROTECTED LANDMARK STATUS

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                              Christopher Griffin

 

 

This is the Headington Shark located in a Oxfordshire town. The homeowner Bill Heine and a sculptor friend built the 25 ft. shark out of fiberglass and installed it on August 9, 1986, the 41st anniversary of the last atomic bombing in Nagasaki.

Since then, the homeowner had been in a lengthy battle with the city which wanted to remove it. His son said his father built the shark without permission partially as a protest against the city dictating what art the public should see. Now, the city has given the shark protected status in a move ignoring the message of it's late creator.

The genesis of the project came when one night Mr. Heine was awakened by American warplanes flying over his house. The next morning, he learned that they were on their way to bomb Tripoli in retaliation against the Libyans who were sponsoring terrorists attacks on American troops.

Mr. Heine's son said that with this anti-war, anti-nuclear protest, his father wanted to give the viewers an idea of the shock when a bomb smashes into their house.