Why the Koan is a metaphor for Warwick students

The Koan, that white, not quite finished looking monstrosity of a sculpture which dominates the landscape of our campus.

Its purpose? Unknown. The design? Questionable. The Koan seems out of place, lost in a sea of grey. Like a lot of us at Warwick, the Koan is in the middle of nowhere not quite knowing what it is or what it is doing there.

However not all is lost for the Koan, its proximity to the arts centre gives us the impression that it is not quite alone. It clings on to civilisation like we cling onto Leamington Spa, desperate for contact from the outside world.

Its air of self importance mirrors the self importance of those at Warwick who just missed out on their Oxbridge offers and yet still convince themselves that “Woxbridge” is and ever shall be a thing.

The Koan’s dull and plain exterior matches the dull and grey buildings of Warwick campus. During the day, we are like the Koan: dull and boring. And yet, at night the Koan lights up, mirroring how we get lit up in the evenings for a mad one in Smack, just showing how appearances can be deceiving.

It is resilient to criticism and takes no insults to heart like most Warwick students who are subject to ridicule from other and more “edgy” universities. In the face of this criticism we stand firm, like the Koan, aware of our lack of wavy garms or edgy nightclubs.

Many wonder what is inside the Koan, like many wonder what actually is at Warwick campus. Once inside the campus however, we soon realise that there is not a lot there. This is not too dissimilar to how one feels when knowing what is inside the Koan: nothing.

The Koan however is superior to all other sculptures on campus. Its air of superiority mirrors how we feel about other universities because, let’s be honest, we all look up the leader boards to see if Warwick are still beating Coventry.

Koan is love, Koan is life.