Walking to Borås, also known as The Pinocchio statue, is a 9 metres tall sculpture in bronze by american sculpturist Jim Dine. The statue caused a lot of debate when the plans of it were revealed to the public, and it is still a hot topic of discussion. People in Borås were upset for several reasons:
1. The statue cost several millions of swedish crowns and even though a large part was donated by private donors, the Town of Borås shipped in parts. Peopel who were against the idea of a giant Pinocchio statue right in the middle of twon didn't like how their tax money had to pay for it.
2. A majority of money came from a few rich private citizens and it was also their idea to begin with. Is it morally right that a few rich individuals can decide how the city should decorate its public spaces, especially since most citizens were against the statue to begin with.
3. Jim Dine has no connection to Borås, and neither does Pinocchio, so most people are really baffled when they spot the giant sculpture, especially in such a prominent location, at the end of one of the main shopping streets of the city centre and next to the main drive through street. You can't miss it when coming into Borås or hanging out downtown. People are/were afraid that Borås would become a joke because of the giant sculpture.
Well, at least the statue gave Borås a lot of free publicity.
The sculpture was unveiled in 2008 to a crowd of 13 000 people. read more
