Oliver Voss Sculpture

Larger than life: Hamburg's lady of the lake sculpture branded an eyesore

She is supposed to be work of art, although some disgruntled city-dwellers are calling her an eyesore. A giant sculpture of a woman bathing - measuring 12ft in total - has been placed in Hamburg's picturesque Alster Lake as a floating sculpture. The lady in the lake is designed to look like she is bathing in the water and was apparently created with the aim of 'becoming a topic of conversation in Germany'.

The three-piece of work, including a head and two knees protruding from the water, has certainly succeeded in getting people talking. Many tourists are even renting rowing boats to get closer to the sculpture.

The work was created by Oliver Voss, head of the advertising academy Miami Ad School, and will be on display for the next ten days. But she is not without controversy, the district mayor Markus Schreiber has already told de Bild newspaper that the unusual figure is 'sullying the beloved lake'.

However Mr Voss has argued: 'Hamburg and the water belong together. People live by, and from, the water.' He explained: 'My team and I wanted to demonstrate this relationship in a fun and entertaining way. We also hope she will encourage more people to rediscover and experience our city by the water - after all, if the Inner Alster is the living room of Hamburg, of course someone should make themselves comfortable in it!'