Adam Longo takes us to a sculpture
that has traveled the world
and now sits in our very own DC.
This is the story of me a Florentines love,
hate. We throw around a
lot of four letter words.
Of course, in our fine city,
but could there be two more
ubiquitous than these two
here in Farragut Square?
Love and hate?
We love our city. We hate its traffic.
We love our politics. We hate politicians.
This sculpture was actually
done by a German artist and it's
an ambigram which is a word,
a phrase or an image that looks
the same from multiple standpoints.
And that's what you're going to see here.
We wanted to talk with this German
artist about why this sculpture
was at home here in DC. Guten Tag,
we're pleased to have with us, Mia.
Florentine Vice who is the
artist the sculptor?
The mother of this love hate design?
Who is brought her work to DC Mia it
is a great pleasure to talk to you.
You are in Berlin.
Let's start things off by asking why DC.
Why was this the city to have your
American debut for this sculpture?
The the place was in the media
because you had Black Lives Matter.
It's like a stone throw from the
White House. It's very symbolic.
It's almost as though that the
founder of the sculptures in Berlin.
Area at the East side gallery.
That's where the wall used to run and well,
you still see pieces of the wall,
so having it in Washington DC in a place
in a time where there's so much tension
and there's so much going on politically,
I think that's a very nice matter for
to sort of embrace the sculptures.
OK, so me, let's get to the bottom of this.
What is the message alright never it's
never like a it's never a schoolbook so
you have to find your own interpretation.
I'm sort of super happy,
but I'm feeling really really low and
I really desire something I should not,
but I'm sort of. I want to live
to the rule so every human being,
because that's what makes us human,
is touring between those two
ambiguous feelings for me.
At the end, it's definitely
a call for action.
I think it's something
that we see and we gotta
respond immediately, and it shows
us that artist system relevant.
We need hard to breathe,
otherwise we couldn't go on.
Really important that you know
we have this giant message of
lopate in the street and we can.
We can make a choice.
We have our own choice and at
the end that's my advice to love
because we only have one planet.
We only have one life and if
we if we decide to spread love
we are all much better off.
Well, certainly speaks to the duality that
is very present here in the United States.
So no doubt that it is home here in
the States and specifically in DC,
and those that haven't gotten a chance.
Make sure they check out what you posted.
That's the view that's that shot where
love turns to hate and hate turns to love.
That is the moment when we all turn our life
around. Yeah, I put a bunch of
pictures and video on my Twitter page.
You can see that.
Just check that out at Adam Longo TV,
one of the disappointing things is
the day that we actually went out
there reached to do this shoot.
It was so cold we were hoping to.
Stop some folks and ask them
about how they interpreted this,
but everyone was just.
You know Farragut Square 5:00 o'clock man,
everyone was just going their way and just
trying to get to where they were going.
You know, for me in this conversation
that I had with her, you know it's about.
What do you choose?
Love or hate?
It was interesting to just sort of
scroll Instagram and see people who have
taken pictures in front of this sculpture.
Did they take the picture in front
of the love or did they take the
picture in front of the hate?
So 100% people were taking
pictures in front of the love?
Now by the way,
this was the first place in the
US for this sculpture to be.
Displayed it's actually next month gonna
be lifted out of Farragut Square Park.
It's going to South by Southwest in Austin.
After that,
it'll be displayed outside of
a bunch of German consulates in
different places around the country.
Really.
Just two powerful intertwined
emotions here and actually EU and
German politicians have embraced.
This is sort of something too
synonymous to modern Europe, right?
Modern Europe emerged from the
ashes of all the hatred of World
War Two so they can draw this
direct parallel there.
From hate to love
I I love it and I'm also a fool for
ambigrams I'm a fool for this kind
of art that's out in the space.
Specially stuff that can move.
You know I'm a baby so this is this
is certainly right up my alley.
Also clearly there is a need for
more content since you said not one
person has posed next to the hate.
Get on it people,
right right? That's what we need.
I told him and I was kind of
ashamed to tell her this,
but I I didn't know what an ambigram was.
I'd never heard that word in my
life until we did this story so.
I thank her for opening my mind to
this and to the art that she brought.
Listen, we got this story pitched
by one of our editors talou.
She came at us with this.
We love to do story about art.
In fact I just interviewed a muralist today
down at 9th and you incredible story.
Can't wait to share that with you but
listen any tips you have artists you
think we should talk to public art spaces?
You think we should see?
Hit me at a longowsa9.com or any
of the social media platforms.
Keep killing it to Lou.