A giant spinal sculpture, with twenty-four female torsos taking the place of curved vertebra was installed in Cavendish Square today (20 May).

Cast in bone-coloured resin, Core Femme by Jill Berelowitz is the latest addition to Westminster City Council’s City of Sculpture festival, which will see works of art transform the centre of the capital into an open air gallery, in the build up to the 2012 Olympic Games and Diamond Jubilee.

Core Femme draws influence from the Greek myth of Atlas, but gives a modern twist, with the load bearer of the classical story becoming a woman.

It is the seventh sculpture to have been installed in the heart of the capital as part of the festival. It joins the likes of the Jelly Baby sculpture in Marble Arch, Lorenzo Quinn's Vroom Vroom - a black Fiat grasped in a child's hand – on Park Lane, and Bruce Denny’s human-sized sculptures in Soho Square.

Jill Berelowitz, said:

"I am delighted that my dream to have a large public sculpture in London has finally became a reality. I hope that the public will interpret the torso vertebra not only as a powerful sculpture but for its beauty and spiritual strength and growth.”

Cllr Robert Davis, Westminster Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, said:

“We are delighted to showcase Jill’s work, it is a fabulous addition to Cavendish Square.

“London has a rich artistic heritage - what better way to continue it than to bring works by world renowned artists into some the capital’s most iconic locations.

“The City of Sculpture festival is gathering pace and we hope the works continue to enthral Londoners and visitors all the way up to the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee.”

Core Femme is Berelowitz’s largest and most ambitious public sculpture to date. Previous commissions include the life size Pair Oar rowers at Henley on Thames and the Investec Rugby Challenge trophy.

The sculpture extends the artist’s recent series of works that combine a repeated female form with naturally occurring structures, including the bronze Tree of Life (2010), Dance of Life Abacus (2010) and Persephone (2010), a pomegranate-shaped relief.

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