This is “La Scala”, the exciting new concept in contemporary outdoor, interactive sculpture (it says here) and the latest “enhancement” to the concrete wilderness of the plaza between library, arts centre & student union at Aberystwyth University. As you can see, it has been carefully designed to blend in, by means of the same bland grey concrete material as its surroundings, and yet also stand out, by means of its monolithic bulk and breathtaking ugliness. Apparently, it “unifies the open space and gives it a sense of drama”; isn’t concrete marvellous?

I look at it and imagine an Aztec priest standing silhouetted at the top with his hand aloft, holding the still-pumping heart of the sculptor ripped fresh from his spasmodically jerking body by the sacrificial knife, as the chanting from the crowd below grows louder in homage to the rising sun behind. But that’s probably just me.

This is also a demonstration of my new Canon PowerShot A40 digicam, of which more anon (also involves the heart being ripped out of things).