Gormley’s figure on the edge is just too edgy
THE creator of one of Gateshead’s most famous landmarks is facing a backlash after one of his statues appeared to show a figure contemplating suicide.
One of Angel of the North sculptor Anthony Gormley’s latest works, installed at the University of East Anglia (UAE) in Norwich, shows a human figure on the edge of a library roof, reportedly making some passers-by think a real person was preparing to jump off.
One student at the University set up a petition on Change.Org, demanding that the work be removed as it was causing “stress” to some students.
The petition reads: “In a sudden and unsettling move, UEA has decided – at a time of intense stress for students with exams and dissertation work – to stick up a statue of a person standing right on the edge of the library roof.
“Some students have said that this makes them uncomfortable, as from first glance it looks as if a human being is about to jump off the building.
“Many students will not be aware of the statue and so to suddenly impose this on them during an already stressful period is unfair.
“This petition requests that UEA remove the statue and stop stressing students out with the constant image of someone who looks like they are about to take their own life.”
However, at time of writing, the petition had failed to attract more than a handful of signatures.
On social media, some echoed these concerns.
Dr Esmée Hanna tweeted that the work may be in poor taste, given that students may have genuinely struggled with suicidal thoughts or committed suicide. But others were impressed by the artwork. One Twitter user said the striking positioning of the statues had “made people talk”. A spokesman for UAE told The Eastern Daily Press: “The Another Time series involves sculptures being placed at different focal points and sightlines, including roof level which are thought provoking and offer both spectacle and surprise. “The locations were chosen in response to the remarkable architecture of the Sir Denys Lasdun university buildings. All staff and students have been made aware of the new art installation on campus, and where the sculptures will be located.”