The 'Kook' Gets Dressed as a Clown, Eaten by a Shark; 'I'm Sure I Look Like That'
CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA, Calif.—The botanical society in this beachfront town thought it was honoring surfers when it spent $120,000 to erect a 16-foot tall statue of one riding a wave. Instead, it inspired a wave of humiliation for the hapless bronze dude. Locals nicknamed it the "Cardiff Kook," derisive surfer slang for a wannabe surfer. (More after the break)
Critics also took to the Internet, creating a MySpace page for the adolescent-looking Kook, which reads in part: "I've never surfed in my life, but I would love to." But the main blowback has been an ongoing campaign that has seen the Kook dressed like a clown, a ballerina and topped with a pumpkin head. The most notorious act happened in July, when a local sculptor encapsulated the entire statue so it looked as though it was being devoured by a great white shark. "I don't call them vandals," says Michael Clark, chair of the Cardiff Botanical Society, which commissioned the statue. "I've learned to call them artists." The Kook—its official name is "Magic Carpet Ride"—was erected in 2007 alongside Highway 101, just steps from the beach. Complaints rolled in immediately. Surfers mocked its poor form, including "limp" wrists and arms that extend at odd angles. They also gripe that instead of being portrayed atop an epic wave, the Kook is on a fizzling spray. Rob Machado, a professional surfer from Cardiff, grumbles that the botanical society didn't seek enough input from locals. "I can't even tell you what that statue stands for," he says. Shortly after the statue's unveiling, surfers displayed bumper stickers imploring the city to "Remove the Kook." On the Internet, anonymous critics threatened to use a truck and cable to tear the statue from its granite pedestal. Mr. Clark says a tide of emails flowed into the botanical society's inbox, most of them blasting the design and demanding the Kook's removal. "They were saying things like 'Why are you polluting the view of the ocean with this horrible piece of art?' " he says. Despite the harsh vibes, the Kook has never been permanently damaged. Still, the abuse has been heartbreaking for Matthew Antichevich, the Kook's creator. The statue was his first public piece, so Mr. Antichevich, a surfer himself, says he's been "devastated" by the negative reaction. "I'm totally destroyed as an artist trying to do public art," he says. He's searching for a silver lining. "Maybe it will instigate more art and better art," he says. Surfing is a way of life in Cardiff, which was originally named for the Welsh city but later added "by the sea." The town is home to some of the region's most popular surf spots. The Botanical Society's Mr. Clark says he was initially depressed when locals declared the statue a wipeout. His group spent three years bringing the Kook to fruition, he says, and most of the criticism misses the mark. The intention was to show the joy, and awkwardness, of learning to surf. "It's not the most elegant moment on a surfboard, but it does represent a kid learning how to surf," he says. As the statue has gone from a surfer's eyesore to a public discussion, pranks have become much more elaborate. Eric Hardtke, 36, a local artist who normally sculpts in bronze and stone, has staged two of the most elaborate assaults.
About a year ago, Mr. Hardtke added a massive wave to the city's statue. The wave—made from wood, paper and chicken wire—towered above the Kook and depicted a more aggressive surfer about to cut him off. "It was to make the point that you could make a better sculpture for less money," says Mr. Hardtke. Recently, Mr. Hardtke topped his wave with a new piece: Just before dawn on July 24, he and a dozen friends carried the 15-foot shark—crafted out of papier-mâché over a wooden frame—a few blocks to the beach, installing it in just 15 minutes. Those were merely the final moments of a two-week project for Mr. Hardtke, who guesses he spent roughly $450 building the shark. The week before the prank, Mr. Hardtke laid some fins across the street from the Kook. Over the next few days, the fins were moved closer and closer until they sat at the base of the statue. "I was inspired by those nature videos of sharks jumping out of the water," says Mr. Hardtke, a surfer who lives just a few blocks from the statue. The city removed his handiwork a few days after installation. Despite his artistic ridicules, Mr. Hardtke says he thinks the Kook is actually a decent representation of everyday surfers being their average selves. "I'm sure I look like that," he says of the Kook's awkward form. "That's why everybody is so down on it. They like to think they don't look like that, but they do." Police have mostly ignored pranksters like Mr. Hardtke, and local officials have quietly praised the various Kook-inspired works because they bring attention to their tiny beach town. In fact, Mr. Hardtke recently learned the city has been storing his wave sculpture inside at a dusty warehouse that belongs to Paul Ecke Ranch, a grower of poinsettias and other flowers in Encinitas, Calif., the city which surrounds the community of Cardiff. After the "shark attack," Dan Dalager, Encinitas' mayor, reached out to Mr. Hardtke via a mutual friend. Mr. Dalager wasn't out to scold him; he just wanted to meet. So the two had coffee and discussed Mr. Hardtke's works within viewing distance of the Kook. "To me, these things are really works of art," says Mr. Dalager. He adds: "Not that we condone this type of activity.
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