Our Favorite Weird, Wild Sculpture Gardens

"The unusual spiritual visions of an Irishman were created in stone by craftsmen in Mahabalipuram, India, and now populate a sculpture park in County Wicklow, Ireland. Covering 22 acres, the park includes a series of dancing figures of Ganesh, Shiva, and other Hindu deities. It also includes more bizarre sculptures of a skeletal Buddha-like figure, an enormous disembodied finger, and a sculpture called “The Split Man” which shows a figure ripping itself in two, representing “the mental state of the dysfunctional human.” Intended to represent the spiritual progression to enlightenment, this collection of 14 statues took 20 years to complete. A plaque dedicates the park to mathematician Alan Turing. The park was known as Victoria’s Way until 2015, when it was closed by the owner, who stated, “Too may day-trippers came turned it into a fun park for parents with children. It was designed as a contemplative garden for over 28’s.” It was reopened in 2016 as Victor’s Way (reverting to its original name) with new age restrictions." - ATLAS_OBSCURA