My Take | Rubber Duckie, we're awfully fond of you
While we fret about the deadly bird flu from up north, this giant ducky floating in our harbour has brought much-needed lighthearted relief. Our pressure cooker of a city certainly needs more laughter and humour, and less anger and confrontation. So thank you, Florentijn Hofman!
"Rubber Duckie, you're the one. You make bath time lots of fun, Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you. Woh woh woh bee doh!"
While we fret about the deadly bird flu from up north, this giant ducky floating in our harbour has brought much-needed lighthearted relief. Our pressure cooker of a city certainly needs more laughter and humour, and less anger and confrontation. So thank you, Florentijn Hofman!
When I first saw Hofman's 16.5-metre-tall rubber duck, somehow I guessed the Dutch artist is a parent. What parents have not entertained their children when they were very young in the bathtub with this classic toy - the cute, yellow and chubby ducky?
And sure enough, Hofman admitted he was inspired by his children's toys.
"Once I had my first child," Hofman said, "I saw their needs from a parent's perspective. It's very important to me."
He thinks his huge installation art objects change the public spaces surrounding them, so people see and interact with those spaces in a different light.