Love Monument

It might spell the word love in huge letters, but Richard England's statue in St Julian's Spinola Bay has not made everyone fall in love with it. Maybe the fact that the letters are inverted, triggered feelings that are diametrically opposed to what the statue spells out.

Few are those who have not formed an opinion about the statue. Some like it, accepting it as another work of art and pointing out that several foreign cities hold 'strange' structures. But others were irked by the huge letters, calling it many unfavourable names with some even saying that it has ruined Spinola Bay, obstructing the view of the calm waters beneath. But together with England's 'White Shadows' statue in Fond Ghadir -a sculpture of cut-outs showing a family of four strolling down the promenade -'Love' was awarded a prize by the International Academy of Architecture.

The inverted letters were not just an attempt at originality; the reason behind the weird inversion is for the word to be read upright in the water's reflection. The problem is that the water must be mirror- calm and many have pointed out that the reflection is not visible all the time, or even everyday. But then again, neither is love. And when it does throw a lovely reflection on the water beneath, it sends love-sparks all the way to the restaurants across the bay, making one ask why the statue has been found objectionable by so many.

Others, however, just see it as a few blocks of stone that provide a canoodling haven for love-birds. If nothing else, the 'Love' statue shows that you really can find love in the most unexpected places.