They reproach him for his “phallic” character. Students from Imperial College London (UK) protested against the installation of a statue by sculptor Anthony Gormley on campus.
Composed of an assembly of steel rectangles, this six-meter-high work entitled “Alert” is supposed to represent a crouching human form and evoke the scientific community. The statue, which was donated to the college by one of its former students, is due to be installed this summer, according to Imperial College’s website.
“Unsuitable for display to the general public”
But rather than bent legs, “many” see a three-meter-long “phallus” instead. In a motion, the student union of the prestigious establishment believes that the students should have been consulted, and points out that the name “Alert” can “also be understood as referring to the phallus of the erect statue”. “There is nothing wrong with phallic imagery in art,” the motion admits, considering nonetheless that “phallic interpretation” could be considered “inappropriate for public display.”
In addition, the text underlines the risk of inherent exclusion linked to the phallic interpretation of the work, when only 41.8% of the establishment’s full-time students were women during the 2020-2021 year. . According to Guardiana spokesperson for Imperial College argued that “Antony Gormley is one of the world’s greatest living artists and we are grateful to be offered one of his iconic sculptures”.