Floozy In The Jacuzzi – River, Youth, Guardians And Object

I’ve always found this statue to be a little incongruous. I remember the front of the council house as a large open space — it was here in 1982 that as a kid that I saw the Aston Villa team lift the European Cup on the balcony of the council house, and that image is etched on my memory. As such, this statue and water feature has been plonked in the middle of my memories! It’s also a strange mishmash of Victoriana and Egyptian — like someone has been shown a photograph of Trafalgar Square and the Pyramids for 10 minutes, and then been asked to «do something broadly a bit like that».
Having said all that, it does make for a decent (ish) centrepiece to what is one of the few areas of central Brum that remains architecturally interesting — it’s often been said that Brum town planners have caused more damage to the city than the Luftwaffe — but it just doesn’t *quite* fit, for me. Maybe it will age well.

‘The Floozy in the Jacuzzi’ is a great piece of 90s architecture, and brings some amazing weird and wacky people to both sit around (and paddle) in her presence.
Yes, many loons have been known to take to the water for a wide range of daring tasks. One being a guerilla knitting artist, who waded through the pool with her needle and thread to give the Floozy a nice scarf (although making something woollen to hide her decency might have been a more thoughtful option). Another was a peculiar man who I witnessed picking the pennies out of the water very casually, as though he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. I wasn’t too sure how to react, so I swiftly walked past as though I hadn’t really seen anything strange.
If you hang around the fountain long enough, you’re sure to find some odd event occurring within the water. Keep your eyes peeled!
Many people sit and relax on the walls surrounding the fountains. I guess they find the sound of water soothing? It makes me need the loo.

There is a very good reason the Floozy deserves a review all of her own as without it, if you are someone who doesn’t know the city, you might not know who she is and where to find her when asking for directions.
When Victoria Square was redeveloped from a traffic hell hole to a pedestrian friendly square in 1992 it required a big art commission in the form of a fountain. This was won by Dhurva Mistry and was named Rive, Youth, Guardians and Object (Variations). Now that’s a bit of a mouthful and the Brummie response to a naked lady lounging in a bubbly pool was ‘Floozy in the Jacuzzi’. Roles of the tongue much more nicely. So when you ask for directions and you are signposted towards or past the Floozy you will know who and what the locals are on about.
Personally I find the sculptures and fountain disconnected, from the weird stone sphinxes guarding the the floozy as she bathes to the vision of youth frolicking in the lower pool, I just find it confused.
Anyway now you know.