In terms of Extinction Level Events (ELEs) this one will not hit too many headlines. Yet to the people of the British seaside town of Southsea, Luna Park the dinosaur had been a new but extremely popular addition to the local community.
It was only in the middle of August that this wonderful and popular piece of art was put in place. Now all that remains of this once proud fifty foot work of art is the burned out remains of its shell. The incinerated beastie which once measured seventy feet from nose to tail was destroyed by fire on 30 September. The reason for the dino-inferno is unknown but although it could have been an electrical fault, vandalism is suspected.
The creation of Ivan and Heather Morrison had lighting panels under his belly section. It is thought that the atrocious recent weather blew one these panels away. The elements did their job – and we all know what can happen when water and electricity dance together.
Once it was on fire there was little anyone could do – the steel skeleton is all that is left of this enormous sculpture.
It is not only the artists and the residents of Southsea who will be upset. Workers of the Zastava car factory in Kragujevac, Serbia made the steel frame underneath the polyester shell, which supported the weight of the dinosaur.
Farewell Luna Park. A few lines from a famous song seem appropriate here...
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in..
Many thanks to Flickr User bobfranklin for informing us of Luna Park's fate and for giving us permission to reproduce these pictures.
You can see our previous features on the Southsea dinosaur here and here.
