By Chris Cosci

It made its world premiere a year ago and has been growing ever since. Currently, it's over four feet high and weighs over 1,000 pounds. It's also at the heart of one of the most bizarre controversies in the art world.

I'm referring, of course, to the BraBall. The story of the BraBall starts in 1992, when a male artist by the name of Nicolino came up with an idea. He wanted to collect enough bras so that he could string them across the Grand Canyon. It sounded like a good idea (to him), but by October, 2000, Nicolino decided that his dream of building a bra bridge would never be realized.

However, Nicolino had collected 20,000 bras and decided that he couldn't just throw them away. So, he did what anybody who had 20,000 bras lying around would do. He sent a letter to a gossip columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and offered to donate the bras to the organization that provided the best plan to use them.

Enter artist Emily Duffy. Duffy's initial request was for a measly 100 bras to decorate what she calls her Vain Van. Nicolino refused, stating that he did not want to split up the collection (are you disturbed yet?). Not willing to let this golden opportunity pass her by, Duffy came up with an idea. Thinking about those rubber band balls created by college students and cubicle dwellers with way too much time on their hands, Duffy decided to make a bra ball.

Nicolino was very excited upon hearing this idea. Nicolino agreed to donate the bras, apparently deciding that this was the best idea submitted to him, which makes me shudder at the thought of what other ideas this one may have beat out.

Everything seemed to be working out perfectly, until Duffy and Nicolino stopped seeing eye-to-eye. Nicolino suggested that the bra ball go on tour as part of a BraBall roadshow. Duffy wasn't convinced that this was the right thing to do, and subsequently, Nicolino started doubting Duffy's ability to properly execute a traveling BraBall roadshow. Further irking Nicolino was Duffy's idea to fill the center of the ball with breast-related items including a scalpel and a breast implant.

Nicolino finally backed out of the project and told Duffy he would be building his own bra ball. However, he did promise to credit Duffy with the idea. Duffy was not happy with this decision and decided to handle it the American way: she got a lawyer. In response, Nicolino did the respectful thing and got his own lawyer. After much debate, it was finally ruled that Duffy couldn't copyright the BraBall concept. Imagine that.

It now became a race to the finish. Nicolino had the advantage with his eight-year collection. Duffy turned to the Internet. Her request brought in thousands of bras from around the world, including Germany, Israel, and Japan. Some of her supporters (that pun is SO intended) have voiced their way-too-informative opinions.

"The [bras] I'm sending in are well used but tired, just like me, I suppose, but they've done their jobs."

"I no longer wear bras... My AAA breasts are ten years old and will never droop to my navel. And if they do, let them droop."

Today, Duffy's ball contains over 10,000 bras. Her goal is for the sculpture to measure five feet, four inches tall, the height of the average American woman. Although not yet as large as Nicolino's ball, Duffy has received a lot of publicity. In addition, Duffy uses the BraBall's popularity for a noble cause. She raises money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. And you just can't say anything bad about that.