The Imperial College Union has raised concerns about Gormley’s six-metre ALERT sculpture, saying it could “damage the image and reputation of the college” because the figure’s legs could be interpreted as an erect penis. The sculpture, which is made of stacked cantilevered steel, is meant to resemble a squatting human figure and is to be installed this summer in the university’s Dangoor Plaza. Gormley described the sculpture as a figure that “balances on the balls of its feet while squatting on its haunches surveying the world around it. The union’s proposal also said the name could also be understood to refer to the sculpture’s phallus as “erect”. He added that while there is nothing “inherently wrong” with phallic imagery in art, the statue could be considered inappropriate for a large display. The union raised concerns that the phallic performance could be seen as “exclusive”, due to the gender ratio of students and staff at the university. Official university statistics show that 41.8% of full-time students at Imperial College were women in the 2020-2021 academic year. The Gormley sculpture was donated by university graduate Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and managing director of private equity firm Creador, and his wife Shanthi Kandiah. Mr Vasudevan described the Gormley sculpture as “world-class” and “iconic”, on the university’s website. Gormley is known for previous works such as Angel of the North in Gateshead, Another Place on Crosby Beach in Liverpool and the large-scale public sculpture installation Event Horizon, first shown in London and later in New York, in the center of São Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro.