'Dueling Tampons' graffitied

Last week, The Daily Pennsylvanian joked that the Dueling Tampons on High Rise Field would be repainted white.

It seems someone had something else in mind for the iconic 50-foot welded steel statue.

The “Covenant” statue at 38th and Locust, commonly known as the Dueling Tampons, was graffitied with what seemed to be black spray paint sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Someone used red spray paint to cover a portion of the graffiti this afternoon.

The Division of Public Safety is currently investigating the incident, and declined to comment further. Facilities and Real Estate Services could not be reached for comment.

“Covenant” is the work of Alexander Lieberman , who was the art director of Vogue and Condé Nast editorial director, and also a serious painter and sculptor in his spare time. In the 1960s, he became increasingly interested in large public sculptures, like “Covenant.” Lieberman died in 1999.

Though today the statue is an iconic part of campus, when it was originally installed during the summer of 1975, it elicited strong reactions from students.

Students returning to campus told the DP that the statue was “gross,” “hideous,” “obnoxiously spastic” and “terrible and ostentatious.”

“Do you think I could get a contract to put one up ... I need the money,” high rise resident Frank Jaffe quipped. “Covenant” cost the University $100,000, including $20,000 in labor costs.

“I watched it go up all summer and I think it got worse as it went along,” one summer school student told the DP. Sentiments like these led WXPN to hold a concert to knock the statue down with sound waves.

Other students and community members liked the then-yet-to-be-nicknamed work. “I think it looks like an excellent nuclear reactor,” one student told the DP. Others compared the statue to “cosmic soda straws” and “making love in the back seat of a car.”

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