‘More Pink Floyd, less bound woman’ call for Cambridge station’s public art

A protest outside Cambridge railway station called for the controversial Ariadne (Wrapped) statue to be removed.

Individuals who described themselves as “long-term residents of Cambridge” called for “a more enlightening representation of the city: Isaac Newton working in a laboratory, Pink Floyd playing a jazz bar or Wordsworth studying at St John’s College would all be more uplifting ways to welcome people to Cambridge”.

The statue, by Gavin Turk, was unveiled at Station Square in June 2022. The work had been commissioned by Brookgate as part of its commitment to investing in culture during the ongoing delivery of the CB1 estate.

The artwork depicts Ariadne, the Greek goddess of fertility, passion, and the changing of the seasons, in transit, wrapped in a dust sheet. Mr Turk’s wife, Deborah Curtis, has said the sculpture is about “engaging people and their curiosity” and promoted “positive debate”. But concerns about how the goddess of fertility – most famous as the Cretan princess who gave Theseus the thread to get out of the labyrinth and kill the Minotaur – came to be bagged up in a dust sheet in Cambridge first surfaced in 2024.

The issue was raised by Green councillor Naomi Bennett during a meeting of Cambridge City Council on 10 October, 2024. Green city councillor Jean Glasberg also declared it to be “totally inappropriate” for visitors to the city to be greeted by “a woman tied in a sack”.

The latest protest featured a banner reading ‘Women’s Lives Matter’. The group’s statement said: “As a global centre of intellectual, academic and scientific excellence it is not acceptable to greet both tourists and local residents with such a disturbing and ambiguous image. Ariadne (Wrapped) has nothing to do with Cambridge, depicts a mythological figure in a powerless and unbecoming light and in the current climate it is unacceptable to allow it to remain.

“Violence against women and girls has now been declared a national emergency in the UK. Gender equality is moving further and further from reach across the globe as various governments clamp down on abortion rights, permit child marriage and do nothing to address the lack of female representation in positions of power and influence. Commissioning a statue depicting a bound and helpless woman in such an environment seems an increasingly perverse and misguided act.”

The group noted that members of the public were supportive during the protest.

A spokesperson for Cambridge City Council said: “The CB1 Public Art Programme was funded and led by Brookgate, with the council's support, including through the project steering group which also involved independent artists and local residents.

“The sculpture depicts a piece of art in transit. It builds on an existing sculpture of the mythological goddess Ariadne, wrapped as if for transportation, symbolising change, history, classical culture, context and time.

“We know good public art creates debate, and can be incredibly subjective.”