News

12th March 2004

Disabled and pregnant -controversy over statue

A 15ft statue of a naked, heavily pregnant disabled woman has been chosen to be put on display on the most famous empty plinth in the most famous square in Britain.

The marble statue was sculpted by Marc Quinn and is the likeness of 38 year old Alison Lapper, a single mother who was born with no arms and shortened legs as a result of the congenital condition, phocomelia. Her son Parys, now 3 has not inherited the condition.

Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant was chosen on Monday to be the first of a rolling series of contemporary art works to be erected on the plinth in Trafalgar Square. If a sponsor can be found to put up around £150,000, it will arrive to take its place among the military figures in Trafalgar Square next spring and remain on the plinth for about 15 months.

Speaking yesterday, Quinn said "Nelson's Column is the epitome of a phallic male monument and I felt the square needed some feminity."

Ms Lapper is delighted with the statue. She said "It's quite controversial to have a naked, pregnant, disabled woman in Trafalgar Square and I am sure that there are people who won't like it, and who'll say she should have some clothes on. What I'd say to them is that it's about time you opened your hearts and your minds and started being generous."

However, there has been mixed responses to the statue. One person has said that he hated it so much that he would smash it, whilst another response from a taxi drivers club said that if they couldn't have a taxi on the plinth then their vote would go to Lapper.

Julie Kirkbride, the Tory Culture spokesman, said: "Whilst childbirth is a great thing to celebrate, I think we should have focused on individuals of great achievement the nation ought to commemorate."

• Would you pose naked and pregnant? Air your views in Your Shout