Art piece, or ticking time bomb?

A report released today by the Independent Meteorological Society (IMS) has suggested that an increase of the number of art installations in Canberra could be linked to an increase in lightning activity in the region.

“There is definitive anecdotal evidence that shows a tightly coupled connection between Canberra’s recent increase in art installations and all this atmospheric electrical phenomenon we are seeing,” said Arnold Kitchener from IMS.

“You will notice that around 93% of the recent art installations in the Canberra area are of metallic substance, and of course we all know that lightning is attracted to metal. Combine this with the flagpole on Parliament House and you’ve got yourself a city sized Faraday Cage,” Mr Kitchener said.

“Some may recall the Neil Dawson hanging earth globe near the art gallery that was struck by lightning and subsequently exploded in 1998. Since then, there has been metallic art pieces popping up all over Canberra.”

The report recommends that the number of metallic art pieces in Canberra be reviewed, and that warning signs be placed on existing pieces.