A planned art installation designed to mimic the flaming Eye of Sauron from The Lord Of The Rings has been canceled after protests from the Russian Orthodox Church. Designed by Russian art collective Svechenie, the flaming eye was planned for attachment to the side of a Moscow skyscraper in celebration of Peter Jackson’s movies, as well as, presumably, Ronald Reagan’s nerdiest nightmares. However, the Church has protested against the piece’s placement on religious grounds, causing the project to be scrapped.
“This is a demonic symbol,” said Vsevold Chaplin, head of public affairs for the Church, really going out on a limb in his description of the giant soul-corrupting fire eye. Chaplin went on to speculate about the possible effects of having a literal symbol of moral corruption looming over the city, saying, “Is that good or bad? I’m afraid it’s more likely bad. Just don’t be surprised later if something goes wrong with the city.”
It’s not clear what dark fate the Church anticipated for Moscow had Svechenie gone ahead with its plan to transform the Russian capitol into a modern-day Barad-Dûr. Dragon attack? Orcs? Tom Bombadil? In any case, it’s good to know that Russia has such vigilant moral defenders, ready to spring into action the next time someone tries to construct a fiberglass Entmoot anywhere within its borders.