Imperial College London
College students these days are certainly prone to ideological dustups: currently, at Imperial College in London, a group of students are moving to block the installation of a sculpture by artist Sir Antony Gormley due to concerns that the steel structure, which certain students are claiming is “phallic in nature,” will “hurt the image and reputation of the college.”
The motion to block the sculpture, which is being distributed by the Imperial College Union, claims that while the sculpture is purportedly depicting a squatting human body, it instead evokes a phallus that amounts to a protuberance that sticks out “approximately three meters horizontally.”
There’s “nothing inherently wrong with phallic imagery in art,” the motion continues, but the “phallic interpretation’s preoccupation with the penis could be considered inappropriate for a grand public display, especially given the statue’s size.” The Daily Beast reached out to the Imperial College Union for comment.