‘Disturbing’ new Shakespearean statue ‘looks like drowning woman’

Alluvia sculpture - 'Disturbing' new Shakespearean statue 'looks like drowning woman'
The sculpture, named Alluvia and inspired by Ophelia from Hamlet, was installed in the River Stour in Kent last week - SWNS/Ian Scammell

An underwater statue inspired by a Shakespearean character has upset residents in Canterbury because they say it looks like a drowning woman.

The lifelike sculpture of a woman, named Alluvia and inspired by Ophelia from Hamlet, was installed in the River Stour in Kent last week.

The statue has been criticised for being “morbid and utterly tone deaf” because of its resemblance to a “drowning victim”, and residents have called for it to be removed.

The artwork was created by Jason deCaires Taylor, an award-winning artist, and replaced two previous, similar statues of women in the water that he had created and installed 15 years ago but had become damaged.

Made from recycled glass, LED’s and marine stainless steel, the contemporary sculpture is lit from within at night, bringing a contemporary twist to a 500-year-old tale.

In 1554, a wealthy judge in the area, Sir James Hales, took his own life in the River Stour after refusing to convert to Catholicism under Queen Mary.

As suicide was a crime his widow was denied her inheritance, which led to a trial so famous at the time that it shaped Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia.

Alluvia sculpture
Alluvia is made from recycled glass, LED’s and marine stainless steel, and is lit from within at night - SWNS/Ian Scammell

But residents have condemned the new work. “I find this sculpture absolutely appalling,” Craig Logman wrote on the council’s Facebook page, adding: “It’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.

“Frankly, it should be removed immediately.”

Samantha Bowen said: “I can’t be the only person who finds this deeply offensive. She 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.”

The project was sponsored Paul Abbott and Paul Roberts, two businessmen, and received no funding from the council.

The Canterbury Commemoration Society (CCS), which commissioned the sculpture, responded to the critics by saying: “If you don’t like it, don’t look.”

Stewart Ross, who leads the CCS, admitted members did not see the work before it was installed.

He said: “The overwhelming response from locals, tourists and further afield has been very positive.

“Of course, as always with new art, there are some who don’t like it, just as there were those who disliked our statue of Chaucer in the High Street and Beethoven’s symphonies when they were first heard.

“Moreover, it replaces two similar figures, also illuminated, that had lain without objection in the river for 15 years. If you don’t like it, don’t look.”

Alluvia sculpture
One resident wondered how the council did not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees - SWNS/Ian Scammell

Charlotte Cornell, of Canterbury council, said: “Combining contemporary art with heritage is at the forefront of our approach to public art and Alluvia is the perfect piece for this location.”

Cllr Cornell acknowledged some people might find the sculpture disturbing but hoped it would be thought-provoking.

She said: “Alluvia is as much a metaphorical embodiment of the river, as she is of a woman.

“As a piece, she is possibly doing so much. She may allude to Shakespeare’s Ophelia, she may nod to the 1554 John Hales drowning. She may also be a comment on [the] poisoning of our waterways by modern development, sewage and farming. Or she could be a representation of the peace and tranquillity of nature.

“She could be all of these things, or she could be none – that’s the beauty of art.

“The piece asks questions of the viewer, as all art should. Some people will be upset, some disturbed.

“Others will be inspired and find a kind of beautiful ethereal quality in the sculpture. It’s not up to me to tell people how to feel.”