An artist has defended a statue he created for his picturesque hometown after furious residents and online critics branded it “toneless” and “shocking”.
Jason deCaires Taylor created a sculpture called The Alluvia, which was placed in the River Stour in Canterbury, Kent.
Alluvia’s lifelike figure is made from recycled glass, LED lights and stainless steel from the maritime industry. It glows in the dark and is inspired by Shakespeare’s Ophelia from Hamlet.
But passers-by began to mistake the artwork for a corpse in the river.
People have therefore labelled the statue as offensive, ‘incomprehensible’ and ‘downright disturbing’ and want it to be removed.
People have branded the Alluvia sculpture in the River Stour as downright offensive
Taylor said he was “surprised” by the amount of criticism his artwork received online
Hundreds of people took to the official Facebook page of Canterbury City Council to complain about the “deeply disturbing” statue.
One user wrote: ‘I can’t be the only one who finds this deeply offensive. She looks like a drowned woman. How could the council not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact that so many people drown as refugees off the Kent coast?’
One woman said, “I would really think someone had drowned and call 911!”
A local resident said: ‘I think it’s very disrespectful to all the families and loved ones who have been lost to drowning or murder. I think it’s going to cause a lot of trauma and memories that people don’t need to remind themselves of.’
Another added: ‘As a nurse, I treated a poor victim who drowned in this river years ago. I feel insulted and saddened by this.’
“Not the most fitting piece of public art I’ve ever seen,” added a fifth.
Others defended the image. One wrote: ‘What kind of world do we live in when everything that offends or ‘triggers’ someone has to be removed?’
One user commented, “It’s okay to be offended. Art is meant to provoke a reaction. It’s not inappropriate. It’s a work of art. It just exists, and it’s up to the viewer to decide what to make of it.”
“And those who think it should be removed should realize that you are advocating censorship of free speech.”
Jason deClaires Taylor stands next to the Alluvia statue in the River Stour in his hometown of Canterbury
Alluvia is based on the Shakespearean character Ophelia from the tragedy Hamlet
Made from recycled glass, LEDs and stainless steel from the maritime industry, the lifelike Alluvia figure glows in the dark
Online commentators called the image “distasteful” amid the ongoing migrant crisis
Others worried that passersby would call police to report a body in the river, especially if the water is murky.
The artist behind the divisive artwork said Sky News that he was ‘surprised’ by the negative reactions.
“99 percent of the feedback I’ve gotten has been very positive,” he said. “But at the same time, I appreciate that everyone gets something different out of everything they see.
People couldn’t help but compare the artwork to the migrants drowning in the Channel.
But the artist confirmed there was “no connection” between the statue and the ongoing migrant crisis along the Kent coast, just 16 miles from where the statue stands in the River Stour.
At least 45 people died attempting to cross the Channel between January and September this year, according to government figures.
Taylor said: ‘It’s an extremely tragic situation and I don’t think ignoring it is the answer. If [this work] “If someone can generate some kind of concern and sympathy for that situation, then I think that’s a good thing.”
Taylor does not shy away from incorporating a political message into his artwork.
In February this year, he unveiled an art installation on the beach in Whitstable, Kent. The installation features a swimmer in cold water, a child, a kitesurfer, a volunteer on a lifeboat and a local fisherman working to improve the health of marine life.
The piece is called Sirens of Sewage.
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor confirmed that there is no political link between Alluvia and the ongoing migrant crisis
At least 45 people died attempting to cross the Channel between January and September this year, according to government figures.
Sirens of Sewage, an art installation by Jason DeCaires Taylor on the beach in Whitstable, Kent
Responding to those who criticized his more recent art Alluvia, Taylor said: ‘Art should ask questions. It should make people think about things that evoke emotions, that’s really crucial.’
People who are offended by the piece and are demanding that it be removed from Facebook come from as far away as Orkney.
Taylor asked people to see Alluvia in person before forming an opinion.
The work was commissioned by the Canterbury Commemoration Society and the charity’s chairman, Stewart Ross, told Sky News: “Some people may find it offensive and shocking, we have no objection to that. All public art is open to discussion.”