A new statue was unveiled in Hyde Park today as part of a fundraising effort to build a children's education centre.
Isis, by Simon Gudgeon, represents the Egyptian goddess of motherhood, who could take the form of a bird.
It is Hyde Park's first new sculpture in 50 years. The 633-kilo bronze sculpture was unveiled today by the artist and Joel Cadbury, president of the Royal Parks Foundation at its home on the south shore of the Serpentine, near the Princess Diana memorial fountain.
The statue will raise money by selling plaques at its base to fund the £1.8 million children's centre, which aims to replace two ageing classrooms with hi-tech facilities for children visiting the park.
The inspiration for the sculpture is Isis, the Egyptian goddess of nature - the feminine archetype of creation. Her titles include; goddess of fertility, mother of deities, queen of heaven, earth and the underworld, goddess of simplicity; and the great protector.
Simon Gudgeon, the sculptor, describes Isis as 'inward-looking and contemplative, trying to understand the reason for our existence, where we've come from, where we are going and our place in the universe'. He wants visitors to Hyde Park to come up and stroke her, congregate around her, giving a space to reflect and take time out from the hustle and bustle of town life.
Her form is based on the ibis, a wading bird with a long, thin, down-curving bill
She is 3 metres tall and formed from 633 kilos of bronze.
Her base is a sunken circular slab of Amarelo da Figueira granite more than 8 metres in diameter. Within this base, there are 1000 embedded plaques that form 3 Fibonacci spirals curving away from the sculpture, representing the donors who made the Isis Education Centre in Hyde Park possible.
The sculpture has a green patina, strongly reflecting nature, ecology and the parkland setting - and referencing green as a colour sacred to the Eygptians, representing the hope and joy of spring, a new lease of life.