A remarkably lifelike sculpture of a man sleepwalking in nothing but his underpants at a US women’s college has triggered an online student petition calling for it to be removed.
The sculpture is a “source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault” for many, according to the petition, which has been signed by nearly 300 people.
The work is part of an exhibit by sculptor Tony Matelli installed at Wellesley College, Massachusetts.
A statement issued by president H. Kim Bottomly and museum director Lisa Fischman said: “The very best works of art have the power to stimulate deeply personal emotions and to provoke unexpected new ideas, and this sculpture is no exception.”
The sculpture “has started an impassioned conversation about art, gender, sexuality and individual experience”. (AP)
Wingsuit flight off Mount Everest
The first wingsuit flight off the summit of Mount Everest is to be broadcast live by the Discovery Channel. High-altitude climber Joby Ogwyn will make the attempt in May.
The network will air a live two-hour broadcast showing the California native as he battles conditions on the way to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, then takes the plunge.
His custom-made wingsuit will be equipped with cameras to capture the descent of more than 10,000 vertical feet at speeds exceeding 150mph. (PA)
Pope’s motorbike goes for €241,500
Pope Francis’s Harley-Davidson is hitting the road after an unnamed European buyer agreed to pay €241,500 including taxes and fees for the motorcycle at a Paris auction to benefit charity.
The Bonhams auction house said the telephone buyer agreed to pay far more than the expected pre-sale price of more than €12,000 at the auction at Paris’s Grand Palais. A Harley-Davidson leather jacket signed by Pope Francis sold for €57,500 including fees. It is unknown whether the pontiff ever rode the custom 2013 Dyna Super Glide that was a gift from Willie Davidson, a retired Harley-Davidson designer and grandson of the company’s co-founder.
Money from the sale will be donated to charity Caritas Roma, which runs a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless in Rome. (PA)
Religious conviction on baby name
An East Tennessee magistrate has been replaced months after ordering a baby’s name changed from Messiah to Martin because she believes Messiah is a title held only by Jesus Christ.
Lu Ann Ballew was a child support magistrate, serving at the pleasure of the chief judge of Tennessee’s fourth judicial district. Judge Duane Slone removed Ms Ballew from her position and appointed a new magistrate. His order does not explain why he ended Ms Ballew’s appointment.
Ms Ballew, a lawyer, still faces a March 3 hearing on accusations that she violated Tennessee’s Code of Judicial Conduct, which requires judges to perform all duties without bias or prejudice based on religion.
Ms Ballew’s August name change decision was overturned at a September hearing. (AP)