A SCULPTURE of a giant fountain pen is set to be unveiled later this month outside the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government on Walton Street.

The vivid magenta fountain pen is by one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, Michael Craig-Martin RA and it will be revealed to the city on September 23.

The sculpture, Fountain Pen 2019, balances strikingly on the single point of the pen’s nib and it is intended to illustrate the research and learning carried out in the city.

Craig-Martin said: “The image I proposed for Oxford was that of a fountain pen. The image can be seen as a reference to serious study and learning, particularly to the signing of important documents, an age-old formality that connects, like Oxford itself, the past and the present, and which is recognised globally.”

Professor Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, said: “We’re delighted to have Michael Craig-Martin’s striking work – he is already known in Oxford for his mural at the JR Children’s Hospital and we hope his new installation will further contribute to the city’s environment and community.”

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