A 48-metre (157ft) tall sculpture by artist Anthony Gormley proposed for Dublin Docklands has caused heated debate on architecture websites in the days since images of the planned work were released.
Commissioned by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA), the giant metal figure, based on casts taken of the artist's own body, will be sited on the seaward side of the Seán O'Casey Bridge, subject to planning permission from Dublin City Council.
The London-born artist is most famous for his Angel of the North, a massive sculpture that put Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the international artistic map. However, some contributors to architecture discussion website, Archiseek.com have questioned the merits of locating such a large sculpture on the Liffey.
A number of contributors said that there had been too much interference with the visual line of the river already and suggested that the sculpture itself is "gimmicky", while several anonymous contributions suggested that the proposed figure looked like it was urinating.
The sculpture also received a number of positive comments with contributors praising the DDDA for its "vision" and commending previous work by the artist.
Sinn Féin Dublin City councillor Daithi Doolan, who represents the docklands area on the council of the DDDA, said the sculpture would be a wonderful addition to the area.
"Public art is very important for communities and particularly the inner city which has been much neglected in the past. The artist himself is very interesting and it is fantastic how he engages with communities," Mr Doolan said. Archiseek.com had on several occasions taken a negative stance on "positive developments" in the city, Mr Doolan said, such as the city bicycle scheme due to be introduced next year. Mr Doolan said the sculpture was visually impressive and would draw more visitors to the docklands area. "To me it looks like someone preparing to do Irish dancing."
