A controversial underwater sculpture described by some as \u201ccreepy\u201d and \u201cdisturbing\u201d has been shortlisted for a major art award.<\/p>\n
The Alluvia is a lifelike model of a woman, which sits on the bed of the River Stour near the Westgate Towers in Canterbury.<\/p>\n
The Alluvia, created by Jason de Caires Taylor, has been shortlisted for an award<\/p>\n
It was installed in September last year and is inspired by Shakespeare\u2019s Ophelia from Hamlet.<\/p>\n
The work was commissioned by the Canterbury Commemoration Society and created by award-winning artist Jason deCaires Taylor.<\/p>\n
However, shortly after its unveiling, there were calls for it to be removed due to its position and likeness to a real human.<\/p>\n
But the work has been put forward for the Public Statues and Sculpture Association\u2019s (PSSA) annual awards in the \u2018Excellence in Public Sculpture\u2019 category.<\/p>\n
Many residents had expressed concerns on Canterbury City Council\u2019s Facebook page when they shared images of the completed work last year.<\/p>\n
The eerily beautiful Alluvia has been the source of controversy due to its likeness to a drowning victim<\/p>\n
\u201cI find this sculpture absolutely appalling,\u201d wrote Craig Logman.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not just offensive, it’s downright disturbing. The imagery of a submerged figure, reminiscent of a drowning victim, is both morbid and utterly tone-deaf given the tragic drownings that occur along our coastlines.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrankly, it should be removed immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samantha Bowen added: \u201cI can’t be the only person who finds this deeply offensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looks like a drowned woman. How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact that so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees? I’m stunned at the naivety of those who approved this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The controversial Alluvia statue is in the Stour beside the Westgate Towers in Canterbury<\/p>\n
But the Canterbury Commemoration Society and cabinet member for culture, Cllr Charlotte Cornell, defended the sculpture at the time, calling the wide range of opinions it evoked the \u201cbeauty of art\u201d.<\/p>\n
Cllr Cornell has praised the artwork once again following its nomination.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cAlluvia changes with the waters. She is beautiful and she is tragic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can read sadness into her if you like, or you can read a reflection on nature and human damage to our waterways, or perhaps she is Ophelia and a representation of the great contribution this city has made to literature.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason she is great art is that she is 100 different things to 100 different people. She is well deserving of a vote to win this important award.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Alluvia sculpture quickly became covered in algae<\/p>\n