Latest news with #culturalvandalism
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
'Cultural vandalism' claim after Sheffield's Leadmill gutted
The owner of Sheffield's former Leadmill venue has accused the outgoing tenant of "aggressively" removing fixtures and fittings and leaving the building an empty Madden, whose Electric Group owns the building, said he was "shocked" at the state of the building after Phil Mills of Leadmill Ltd left the property on also accused Mr Mills of "cultural vandalism" after a stone frieze above the main entrance was Ltd said it had removed the artwork in order to "lovingly rehome it" at a later date and that it had left the building in the state the lease required. Mr Madden told BBC Radio Sheffield the building, which closed in June, had been left with bare walls and floors and with all the external doors removed."I think Mr Mills has a particularly aggressive interpretation of the lease," he said."He was entitled, contractually, to take certain things out of the building, but whether he has the moral authority to do so is something completely different."Sheffield City Council said its dangerous structures team had responded to concerns the external doors had been removed and the building was unsafe. It added it was satisfied the Electric Group had since made the building Ltd, however, shared a before and after photo from the venue, saying it had left the building in the same state as when it had moved in as a tenant. Mr Madden said the artwork removal was "a very sad state of affairs" and said he would restore it if it was returned."This is a piece of public art that was created in the early 1980s by an artist. It was commissioned and paid for by the original charity at the Leadmill, funded by Sheffield Council, so it is a public piece of art."Again Mr Mills has a pretty aggressive, extreme interpretation of what he feels are his fixtures and fittings."My legal advice from a senior barrister is absolutely clear, the Electric Group owns the building and the frieze forms part of the fabric of the building."It is basically cultural vandalism. It's appalling and Mr Mills really should do the right thing and give it back." Leadmill Ltd said the lease "very clearly" listed what belonged to them.A spokesman said: "The building was empty and derelict before we took it over in 1980 and made it into a much loved venue so [Mr] Madden's comments about whether we paid for our own belongings makes no sense."The frieze is a lovely piece of art and was something that was commissioned by The Leadmill early in our existence, it wouldn't have existed had we not moved into the building in the 1980s."Our intention was to carefully remove each section so that it can be lovingly rehomed with us at a later date."We were sadly prevented from removing the bottom half but obviously want to reunite both sides with us which we will be getting advice on."Sheffield City Council previously said planning permission was not obtained to remove the frieze.A spokesperson for the authority said its planning team was currently in the process of assessing what enforcement powers were available in relation to the breach. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
ABC News
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Australian Chamber Orchestra's Richard Tognetti slams ANU's plan to axe School of Music
The artistic director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra has slammed a controversial plan by the Australian National University to axe its School of Music, warning it would be an "act of cultural vandalism". Virtuoso violinist Richard Tognetti took to the microphone after a performance at ANU's Llewelyn Hall on Saturday night. "Let us hope in marking the School of Music's diamond anniversary, we are not also preparing its obituary," Tognetti told the crowd. "But if the current trajectory continues, that is where we are heading." The university is proposing to absorb the School of Music into a new School of Creative and Cultural Practice, removing the specialist performance and composition teaching for which the ANU is renowned. It is part of broader cost-cutting measures at the university, which is trying to save $250 million by the end of the year. The plan has sparked intense backlash and protests by students and staff. Tognetti, who has been at the helm of one of the world's leading chamber orchestras for more than three decades, said it would have grave consequences for Australia. "When the tuition stops, the music stops," Tognetti said. "If maintaining our national parks costs money, we do not burn them down to save on upkeep. "It is not acceptable that in a country like ours that there could be no place in the public system of our nation's capital to learn a clarinet, the cello or the drums somewhere between Melbourne and Sydney. "The School of Music is not just a Canberra institution or an ANU department, it is a national, indeed international, asset — a training ground for the musicians who give life to our cultural identity. "Once lost, it won't be rebuilt." Tognetti has also written directly to the ANU's leadership, calling for an immediate moratorium on the proposed changes and a "fully transparent and independently moderated consultation process". "The future of the School of Music must be shaped not by expediency, but by expertise, integrity, and vision," he said in the letter. "To accept anything less is to permit an act of cultural vandalism." In a statement, the dean of the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Bronwyn Parry, said the proposed changes were a result of "carefully considered" consultation, strategic planning and benchmarking against other international institutions. She said the intake of students studying music performance had dropped from 49 in 2018 to 22 students this year. "The proposed new school reflects how artists and creatives work in the real world today and is designed to equip students with the range of skills that they will require to excel in these domains in the future," Professor Parry said. "We are a university, not a conservatory. "That distinction matters because our focus is on academic and creative inquiry, not on replicating conservatory models. "We are proud that this proposal saves every existing discipline in the arts, humanities and social sciences in the midst of extremely challenging financial circumstances." Among those fiercely opposing the ANU's plan is the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which said the changes would pose a serious risk to the city's pipeline of musicians and Canberra's cultural vibrancy. "If we fail to continue to have graduates coming out of the School of Music that can contribute to our city, it's a loss that we will never recover from," CSO chief executive Rachel Thomas said. Ms Thomas also wrote to ANU's leadership last month during the consultation phase of the draft changes. She said the CSO had sought to work collaboratively with the university to find solutions that would keep the School of Music intact. Ms Thomas recently received a reply from the university, which she described as a "thanks, but no thanks". "We've been incredibly disappointed with the response we've received from ANU," Ms Thomas said. "It really was an email which indicated that the decision on this had already been made. "What this signals, if these cuts take place at ANU, is that it's OK to keep cutting arts and humanities across the nation." The ANU said it was reviewing the feedback it received during the consultation period and would present its implementation plan "in due course".
