Students at Imperial College London protested the installation on campus of a twenty-metre-long work by artist Antony Gormley, seen as a “phallic” sculpture.

The work, titled “Warning”, consists of a series of steel rectangles that represent a crouching human form and evoke the scientific community, according to the project. Its installation is expected to take place soon.

But according to the proposal of the student union at the prestigious scientific institution, many see a ten-meter “phallus” instead of bent legs.

The Guild believes that students should be consulted, noting that the name “Warning” “could also be understood as a reference to the erect statue’s penis”.

The proposal states that “there is nothing wrong with phallic imagery in art”, but argues that “phallic interpretation” may be considered “inappropriate for exposure to the general public”.

“Antony Gormley is one of the world’s greatest living artists,” said a spokesman for Imperial College, according to The Guardian. “We are grateful to have received one of his iconic sculptures,” he added.

The work was donated to the institution by one of his former students.