Ariel and Prospero Above the Entrance to the Bbc's Broadcasting House. 

Eric Gill completed this Portland stone sculpture, Ariel and Prospero, for the entrance of the BBC's Broadcasting House. The sculpture is dominated by two figures: the aged wizard Prospero and the sprite Ariel, who stands upon a globe. Gill has used simplified forms and crisp lines. Prospero has been rendered as a paternal figure, who is both sturdy and protective. The placement of Ariel on the globe suggests dominion over the world, but the child's nakedness and reliance on Prospero also represent a form of vulnerability. The globe itself functions as a symbol of the global reach of the broadcasting corporation, placing it firmly in the modernist era, where technology promised to bring the world closer together. The sculpture challenges fixed meanings through its interplay of classical and modern elements. Gill destabilizes traditional representations of power through the stark contrast between the classical, idealized forms and the distinctly modern, functional architecture of the BBC building. This blending of styles encourages a re-evaluation of how we think about art in public spaces.