Cathedral Moves Sculpture Because Texters Keep Bumping Into It

"The Kiss" has caused quite a few headaches.
"The Kiss" was moved because people kept bumping into it while busy texting.
"The Kiss" was moved because people kept bumping into it while busy texting.
Matt Cardy via Getty Images

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A British cathedral sought to reassure visitors on Monday that they could still view a massive sculpture following a Facebook post by the statue's creator saying the church had moved it because people kept bumping into it while texting.

The Salisbury Cathedral, located about 90 miles outside of London, said in a tweet on Monday under the Twitter handle @SalisburyCath: "Don't worry, you can still see 'The Kiss' at theCathedral. We've moved the sculpture onto the lawn #Relationships."

"The Kiss" is a 20-foot sculpture of clasping hands by artist Sophie Ryder. On Tuesday, Ryder posted a video on Facebook of a crane moving the statue, with the comment "We had to move 'the kiss' because people were walking through texting and said they bumped their heads! Oh well!!"

Sculptor Sophie Ryder poses in front of "The Kiss" outside Salisbury Cathedral earlier this month.
Sculptor Sophie Ryder poses in front of "The Kiss" outside Salisbury Cathedral earlier this month.
Matt Cardy via Getty Images

The Cathedral did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for comment on why it moved the sculpture.

Several social media users poked fun at the statue's relocation to the cathedral lawn. Visitors were originally meant to follow a path through the clasped hands.

GrumpyGitRant (@GRumpGitRant) said in a tweet on Monday: "It's safe now to visit #salisburycathedral. The kiss statue better known as the #claspedhands is no longer a danger."

"I think it is crazy it was moved," wrote Karin Muir on Ryder's Facebook page. "Maybe if more people bumped their heads whilst walking and texting, they'd stop doing it sooner."

(Reporting by Anjali Athavaley; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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