A monumental sculpture of a reclining female form carved into the earth, dubbed “Lady of the North”, has sparked much controversy in the English city of Cramlington. Some complain of the huge waste of taxpayer’s money (an unfounded critique, considering the work’s funding through the private companies Banks Mining and the Blagdon Estate). Others say “Why not an amusement park as a tourist attraction instead?” (despite the disruption of environment caused by a land form sculpture and an amusement park, the former is overall more environmentally friendly and beautiful than the latter).

But the criticism that caught my attention the most is a statement made by Bob Downer, chief executive of Blagdon Estates, who listed as one of the complaints he had received from the local populace “Some people think it’s wrong to have a female figure, and others think she’s some sort of pagan symbol, even though Mother Earth…