The quiet Cumbrian market town of Ulverston was hit today by an art scandal! Local resident Les Preston had made a complaint to the police about the “obscene” art works. “They are neither funny, artistic, or in any way suitable for a public building, being nothing short of obscene and obviously the product of a sick mind.” Comments from other callers to the North West Evening News included “how do you explain that to a child?” Well, how indeed? If children can’t be told about their bodies and the facts of life in a humourous, light hearted way, then what’s the world coming to?! 1+1=5 is a self portrait of our family, Merja, Andy and our three children Lara, Storm and Rudy. Our children are proud and happy to have “their” sculptures displayed around the world! Nudity is not something to be ashamed of – and these sculptures can hardly be described as “nude” being inflatable blobs with a vague human resemblence. They are no more explicit than a jelly baby! Our inspiration for the forms comes originally from the Venus of Willendorf, the prehistoric Earth Goddess figure dating back about 24,000 BC. Other influences are of course more contemporary cartoon and animated figures.
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