Britain's 'Shark House' Becomes Protected Landmark
2022-03-31
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1A famously strange statue in the city of Oxford, England recently received official protection as a historic landmark.
2But, Magnus Hanson-Heine, the son of the man who built the artwork, is not happy about the special recognition.
3But first, about that statue: It is a 7.6 meter tall model of a shark.
4The strange part is in the sculpture's positioning up on the top of the Hanson-Heine house.
5It appears from the street as if the huge fish dove straight through the home's roof.
6Magnus Hanson-Heine's father, Bill, put up the sculpture in 1986 as a protest against war and nuclear weapons.
7He worked on the art project with his friend, sculptor John Buckley.
8Bill Heine was an American who studied law at the University of Oxford and made the town his home.
9He got the idea for the sculpture after he heard American warplanes fly over his house one night in April 1986.
10The next morning, he learned that the planes had been on their way to bomb Tripoli, Libya.
11The men put the sculpture on display on August 9 to mark the 41st anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan.
12The image of a shark crashing through the home captured the shock civilians must feel when bombs smash into their homes, Magnus Hanson-Heine said.
13Bill Heine died in 2019.
14Magnus Hanson-Heine calls the local government's declaration about the sculpture "absurd."
15His father, he explained, never sought nor accepted permission to put up the shark.
16In fact, he strongly believed, his son said, that the government should not decide what art the public should see.
17And, Hanson-Heine noted, the same local council that has declared the shark historic and protected, had spent years seeking its removal.
18The shark's anti-war message is just as important today, Hanson-Heine said, as Russian bombs fall on Ukraine.
19"That's obviously something that the people in Ukraine are experiencing right now in very real time," he said.
20While that message is serious, the strange sculpture that rises over the otherwise normal street incites some fun and laughter as well.
21Especially when someone asks about the model shark's unseen head.
22The story is that it crashed through to just above the toilet.
23That, a laughing Magnus Hanson-Heine said, is a myth.
24I'm Dan Friedell.
1A famously strange statue in the city of Oxford, England recently received official protection as a historic landmark. But, Magnus Hanson-Heine, the son of the man who built the artwork, is not happy about the special recognition. 2But first, about that statue: It is a 7.6 meter tall model of a shark. The strange part is in the sculpture's positioning up on the top of the Hanson-Heine house. It appears from the street as if the huge fish dove straight through the home's roof. 3Magnus Hanson-Heine's father, Bill, put up the sculpture in 1986 as a protest against war and nuclear weapons. He worked on the art project with his friend, sculptor John Buckley. 4Bill Heine was an American who studied law at the University of Oxford and made the town his home. He got the idea for the sculpture after he heard American warplanes fly over his house one night in April 1986. The next morning, he learned that the planes had been on their way to bomb Tripoli, Libya. 5The men put the sculpture on display on August 9 to mark the 41st anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Japan. 6The image of a shark crashing through the home captured the shock civilians must feel when bombs smash into their homes, Magnus Hanson-Heine said. 7Bill Heine died in 2019. 8Magnus Hanson-Heine calls the local government's declaration about the sculpture "absurd." His father, he explained, never sought nor accepted permission to put up the shark. In fact, he strongly believed, his son said, that the government should not decide what art the public should see. 9And, Hanson-Heine noted, the same local council that has declared the shark historic and protected, had spent years seeking its removal. 10The shark's anti-war message is just as important today, Hanson-Heine said, as Russian bombs fall on Ukraine. 11"That's obviously something that the people in Ukraine are experiencing right now in very real time," he said. 12While that message is serious, the strange sculpture that rises over the otherwise normal street incites some fun and laughter as well. 13Especially when someone asks about the model shark's unseen head. The story is that it crashed through to just above the toilet. 14That, a laughing Magnus Hanson-Heine said, is a myth. 15I'm Dan Friedell. 16Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 17How would you feel if you saw a shark sticking out of a home where you live? Let us know. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 18Words in This Story 19roof -n. the cover or top of a building or vehicle 20sculpture - n. a piece of art that is made by molding or carving clay, stone, metal, etc. 21city council - n. the group of people who make rules for a city 22absurd - adj. extremely silly, foolish or ridiculous 23toilet- n. a large bowl that is attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water 24myth- n. an idea or story that is believed by many people but is not true