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ArticlesYou are in: Oxford > 麻豆社 Oxford > Articles > The 'Bill' Board! ![]() The 'Bill' Board!麻豆社 Oxford's 'Silver Fox' is never short of an opinion or two. Every Monday you can read all about Mr Heine's latest musings! WHAT THE DEVIL IS THIS? Oxford has a new sculpture.听 The 6鈥3鈥 tall 鈥業ron Man鈥 was unveiled on Sunday by the Lord Mayor on the roof of Blackwells Art Shop in Broad Street, owned by Exeter College.听 The artist is Antony Gormley, the man behind the gigantic Angel of the North in Gateshead overlooking the A-1. Does the addition to the Oxford skyline 鈥榳ork鈥? Does it bring with it something special? Does an already beautiful street become something 鈥榤ore鈥 with the new sculpture in place? I went to the unveiling and got these reactions from the group of people milling around Broad Street.听 鈥淚n this light it鈥檚 very grey with a copper, well endowed body that adds to the spires,鈥 according to syndicated photographer Geoff Swaine.听 An Oxford professor suggested it was very ordinary:听 鈥淭his looks like an unwrapped mummy, a muddy bog body 鈥 the kind they鈥檝e dug up in Germany after thousands of years.听 Is it a man?听 It鈥檚 got wide womanly hips.听 I think it is sort of androgynous; but on the other hand you can clearly see the penis.听 I suppose in a city with so much beautiful sculpture and public art it鈥檚 good to have something mediocre.听 If it were anywhere else people would say 鈥 so what 鈥 wouldn鈥檛 they?鈥 Alissa Robinson, organiser of the Oxford Jazz Festival, said, 鈥淚t looks very special and will add a lot to Broad Street.听 But today at the unveiling we felt like the little people down in the street while the big bosses were up on the roof.听 They were taking photos of us and we felt like we were just objects.鈥 One of the things it did add to Broad Street was a huge green banner which hung down the side of the building directly under the statue and about five times as tall as the piece of art advertising the firm involved in lifting the Iron Man to the roof. Gerald Van Dam confessed: 鈥淚 find the Gormley work dull鈥 and having a deadening 鈥榩roduction鈥 feel.听 I am tempted to suggest that the Antony Gormley figure be turned through 180 degrees.听 This would create gesture, modesty and mystery simultaneously.鈥 Then of course there is always that niggling little question of 鈥榩lanning permission鈥.听 A spokesman for Exeter College was quite clear on this point.听 鈥淭he City Council can sort the planning out in their own time.听 We鈥檝e given up speaking to them.听 As far as we鈥檙e concerned we have permission by delegated powers unless someone tells us otherwise鈥 if we needed permission in the first place, which now seems doubtful.听 Anyway they can give it to us as retrospective permission in their own time.听 It鈥檚 a storm in a teacup.鈥 What鈥檚 your opinion of this听 -- what does this sculpture add to Oxford? last updated: 16/02/2009 at 14:49 Have Your Say
Ted
Scoutmaster. Be Prepared.
Guilty
Sir Stan
H茅ctor Adolfo Saavedra Molina
David.
Gerald Walsh.
David
Richard Samuels
Rolfe
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