FIVE enormous female heads on display in an Oxford gallery serve as 'a response to the masculine energy of Oxford’s architecture'.

Speakers, which is on display at Modern Art Oxford im Pembroke Street until February, is artist Nicolas Party’s reaction to what he considers, in some senses, a male-dominated city.

One key reference point for Mr Party was the carved male stone busts that crown the railings of the Sheldonian Theatre, known colloquially as ‘the heads of the emperors’.

Mr Party’s heads are unique, individual sculptures, standing at two metres tall and forming a ‘theatrical set’. There are speakers under each of the heads creating an immersive soundscape of improvised theatrical encounters.

He spent two weeks working on the 3D printed and laser cut heads, including individually painting each one, at the gallery before the exhibition opened on Saturday.

Mr Party is a Swiss-born artist who merges cutting edge and traditional methods.