h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On the corner of Broadcasting House in London there is a statue of a naked man & boy, the image to me has paedophilic overtones, perhaps someone could explain the imagery/symbolism to me so I can understand it and not feel unease when I see the statue?

It's easy. Men can be naked without f**king the next object they come in contact with. End of story.

Nakedness is partially symbolic of weakness, humility, and a word that means both those things that i can't think of (i hate it when that happens). To be naked in the company of another is an act of trust, openness and frankness. In a sence nothing can be hidden.

Some of the best moments you'll share with those you are closest to will be naked. Being in the bath with your kids. Laying awake holding your partner. Running naked on the beach, or in the park with your siblings as a child. Getting into mum and dads bed because your bed is cold (and possibly has monsters).

I don't really remember the statue. In my minds eye it's a saint with outstreched arms. There is a patron saint of TV - i can't remember who it is now.

When you say 'naked' do you mean nude - or is the loincloth/figleaf action going on? Think of pictures of St Christopher - he's often only wearing his pants. But yopu don't assume he's going to make a pass at the baby jesus each time you see him do you. (If you do i suggest you see some kind of doctor)

FYI -- The patron saint of TV is Saint Clare -- probably not all to relevant in this instance.


Mikey

They can!? Huh...

-Spike A.

Its anked man with a naked boy standing in front of him - I think the man has his hands on the boys shoulders.

er... naked man

...in theory at least. But i don't really see what's threatening about nakedness.

Now if it was a naked boy and a man in a raincoat...

I don't think it helps that the boys buttocks appear to be pressing up on to the male figures groin area.

So the adult and boy are the same hight? How do you differentiate their age?

I'm not saying its bad & should be taken down - I'm saying I do not understand what its supposed to represent & without that knowledge I find it a disturbing image.

No, the boy is smaller but that is the way it looks (possibly because of the height its at)

This thread was started not as plea for censorship but as a plea for understanding & explanation.

Now - i might be in a minority here, and feel free to correct me if i am - but my groin area and buttock area are at about the same hight up my body. I don't really see how the two can be of different hights and still have their nethers at the same hight.

Is there a icture of this staue on the web somewhere - i've had a look and can't find one.

When i first read the first post i was reminded of a great photograph that i really like at the moment by Gerard Luthi, a swiss photographer from a series called Time Reconciled. A picture of his father and his son naked together. Check it out. As i say, i really like it.

I couldn’t find one either, you will just have to trust me on how it looks.
A female friend of mine who works at Broadcasting House for Radio 3 whom also found the image disturbing first pointed out the statue to me, so it is not just me.

All I seek is an explanation?

Ahh! Knowing the title of a peice makes so much difference! It appears that the sculpture is "Prospero and Ariel" by Eric Gill. So not a boy at all, but a naiad.

The BBC's "History of Radio 4" says:

1932: Eric Gill's sculpture of Prospero and Ariel above the front door causes a huge stir. The size of Ariel's penis offends an MP who lives nearby. He demands in The House of Commons that the statue should be removed, as it is "objectionable to public morals and decency".

So you're not the only ones i suppose.

Two mythological charactrs I'm not overly familiar wiv prhaps you could enlighten ?

Prospero and Ariel aren't mythological characters -- they're from Shakespeare -- the play "The Tempest", to be specific.

Mikey

and...

and.... there are many different interpretations, because it's Shakespeare.

To put it simply, Prospero and his daughter Miranda are stranded on an island (bad political situation, they flee by boat, boat strands them on island). Prospero is powerful, both in terms of personality and in terms of magic/wizardry. He has two magical creatures/beings whom he has enslaved -- one is the "monstrous" Caliban, the other is the "aethereal" Ariel. Lots of other things happen, but that should be enough to give you a description of who Prospero and Ariel are.

And yes, I *have* seen a stage production of The Tempest in which Prospero and Ariel were depicted as having a BDSM type of sexual relationship. Not the impression I got from initially reading the book, but as I said -- it's Shakespeare, and everyone interprets it differently.

Hope this helps some -- if you need more info, go find the Cliff Notes!


Mikey