Sep 28, 2008

a toro drive by


I took this photo of the unofficial emblem of Spain en route from Cordoba to Sevilla. There are 89 such toros standing on low hilltops so they are clearly silhouetted against the Spanish sky. These 14 meters high Toros de Osborne were erected by the Osborne sherry company beginning in 1956. According to wiki, a new law was passed in 1994 which prohibited giant roadside advertising, and so the toros were slated to be removed. By this time, however, these signs were nationally renowned. Public response resulted in the signs being allowed to remain but they had to be completely blacked out of all reference to the original advertisers, Osborne. Eventually, a court decided that the Toro de Osborne had become a part of the landscape and was of "aesthetic or cultural significance" thus turning it into a figure that belongs in the public domain.

0 comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails