Councillor calls for ‘bound woman’ sculpture at Cambridge station to be removed

A councillor has called for a statue of a woman tied up with ropes inside a sheet to be removed from outside Cambridge railway station.

The statue, titled as Ariadne (Wrapped), was installed outside the station by CB1 developer Brookgate in 2022.

Cllr Naomi Bennett (Green, Abbey) tabled a question to a meeting of Cambridge City Council last Thursday (10 October) asking whether in the light of the controversial Don statue being taken down, the council could “take steps to improve our cityscape by inviting Brookgate to remove the statue?”

She added: “What does it say about our city that visitors to our city are greeted by a statue of a bound woman when they arrive at the main railway station?”

The meeting did not have time to discuss the question, but Cllr Bennett told the Cambridge Independent: “It’s not really the impression that I want people to get when they come to Cambridge.

“Some people don’t realise it is a bound woman and just think it’s some sort of building work in progress and is unfinished. And others do take a look and are quite upset because Cambridge station, late at night, is not a nice place to be.

“I just think it’s just another way that violence against women is being mainstreamed. The reason why I got so angry was I’ve just had an appeal from the Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre saying ‘Please send us some funds, because our caseload has gone up by a third’.

“I think the artist is regarded as quite hip. And I wonder if Brookgate were trying to be a bit hipster. But I think really the joke is on them, and on us.”

Contemporary artist Gavin Turk unveiled the sculpture at the heart of the CB1 development in central Cambridge in June 2022. The sculpture depicts Greek goddess Ariadne covered in a dust sheet and tied up in ropes, as if being transported or waiting to be unveiled.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne allegedly helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, and was then taken to Naxos and abandoned there by Theseus.

A spokesperson for Brookgate said: “Ariadne (Wrapped) is a sculpture by renowned British artist Gavin Turk.

“The piece depicts Greek Goddess Ariadne and is inspired by artists Giorgio de Chirico – known for his surrealist works including of a similar statue in a piazza, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, iconic for their large-scale landmark installations, often wrapped in fabric.

“Ariadne (Wrapped) shows an object wrapped in a dust sheet as if awaiting unpackaging. Ariadne is metaphorically wrapped in history, context and time.

“The cloth forms a key part of the artwork, suggesting that the sculpture is in a constant state of transportation, accompanied by the bustle of passing trains through the station beyond as the figure remains stationary.

“Brookgate commissioned Ariadne (Wrapped) as a commitment to investing in culture along with the ongoing delivery of the CB1 estate. The artwork was carefully selected through a series of proposals over several years. This included consultations with the full Cambridge City Council public art panel, and a public art steering group, comprising representatives from the community, local businesses, members of the arts fraternity and council officers.”