BATON ROUGE – Twenty-two cast iron and aluminum figures are scattered across areas of downtown as part of a year-long display by an Icelandic sculptor.

Baton Rouge is the latest city to feature the display – called Borders – by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir. Previously, the androgynous figures were seen outside the UN headquarters in New York City, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and Indiana.

The figures are situated in various mirrored forms – sometimes standing, sitting or kneeling – and are meant to call attention to cultural, political and social diversity. It has been reported Thorarinsdottir used her then 18-year-old son as a model. The figures were first seen outside the UN in 2011.

The figures were seen Tuesday along a sidewalk between the River Center and the levee and also standing on the levee running path through downtown.

Downtown Development officials said the figures were installed as part of an initiative by the Arts Council and no city funds were used. The display was paid for through private donations, officials said.

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