A piece of artwork designed to make a park safer for women while making a point about gender-based violence has been completely destroyed.
The feminist monument was torched on the evening of August 21, just three weeks after it was installed in Ponderosa Park, Neverthorpe. It had been created by the Sheffield’s university students, rallied by Our Bodies Our Streets.
The handmade, six-foot, hexagonal installation had poems engraved on the sides which provided holes for light to shine through at night.
The idea was to provide light for women walking in the dark, while highlighting that this should not be necessary in the first place.
It came after Sarah Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder sparked a nationwide movement targeting the everyday threats women and girls face.
But now, the park has been left without the extra light and a pile of black ashes where the sculpture once stood.
Our Bodies Our Streets said it is ‘deeply disappointed’ about losing all the ‘hours of work and effort put into this piece’.
Its statement also explained why the arson was ‘disturbing’, saying: ‘For us, the violent abuse of a beautiful sculpture, which was not invasive and sat far from the path, purely existing and taking up space, is highly reminiscent of our experiences of public sexual harassment.’
But the group went on to say they would be motivated by their ‘rightful anger’, adding: ‘We are taking this attack on our work as a prompt to fight back and not be silenced.’
Activists have left signs on the burnt remains of the sculpture which read: ‘This won’t stop us.’
Many others have spoken out in outrage over the destruction with campaigning group Sheffield Environment saying the violence ‘proves why [the installation] was needed’.
Author, former environmental journalist and activist George Monbiot criticised people for not being as angry about this as many were over statues toppled during Black Lives Matter protests.
He said: ‘The billionaire press, which has spent the past year raging against the destruction of public monuments, remains mysteriously silent about this attack.
‘Memorials to slave traders and colonial pillagers must be defended at all costs. To women? Not so much.’
Local police have asked for anyone who has any information on who destroyed the sculpture to come forward.
Sergeant Adam Wood said: ‘Acts like this are just incredibly frustrating for everyone involved.
‘The aim behind the artwork was to highlight concerns about personal safety and violence against women and girls. The group who created it are a force for good in our city, and to destroy their work is unacceptable.’
Our Bodies Our Streets has started a fundraiser to collect money to continue with more projects.
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