Not to ruin the story for you, but like my right knee that "pops" when I walk upstairs sometimes, David's ankles are showing some wear and tear. If you listen to the entire podcast you can surmise that he has done well to last this long. "Might want to tape up those ankles if you are going to play any football David!"
In summary, weak ankles, 500 year old statue, what could go wrong...maybe an earthquake? Which is why I'm blogging on the topic. I recommend the entire podcast for your listening, but if you want to get to the part that caused me to write this, go to about the point were there is 12-13 minutes left in the podcast. One potential solution they are talking about (while they didn't specifically call it so) is putting the statue on a base isolated platform to attenuate the shaking that the statue will endure in an earthquake. Ah, the problem is a lack of action by those in charge. Funding should not be an issue at around $250,000 to accomplish the task. Instead it is "inaction" on the part of many different people. Those wanting to be in control, those with other priorities, those who are not worried about the tiny risk of having an earthquake...after all, David has endured many an earthquake.
Hopefully they will eventually take action before the statue falls and all we have are photographs of what once was a magnificent piece of art.
The podcast linked above has this description. The bold highlight is mine.
“'We are conditioned to believe that art is safe,'” Sam Anderson, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, explained in this week’s The Sunday Read. 'Destruction happens in a number of ways, for any number of reasons, at any number of speeds — and it will happen, and no amount of reverence will stop it.' Today, Sam explores his personal relationship with Michelangelo's David and the imperfections that could bring down the world’s most 'perfect' statue.”
