Antony Gormley’s spectacular outdoor installation in England

A unique installation of its kind, whose ambition is to make “people wander far and wide”, as its author himself confessed: it is Time Horizon, the work of the London sculptor Antony Gormley, who will be inaugurated tomorrow, April 21, at Houghton Hall, Norfolk County. Originally created for the Scolacium archaeological park, in Catanzaro, the installation lands on English soil for the first time, and is composed of one hundred human figures sculpted in cast iron and placed inside the estate’s park at ground level, elevated on pedestals or buried up to the head or chest, depending on the topography. This arrangement along a single horizontal plane within the landscape creates a dialogue between the viewer, the figures and the surrounding environment, challenging the perception of visitors who become part of the work itself.GORMLEY’S INVESTIGATION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND SPACEAs the artist explained, “this work puts the experience of the subject/visitor/protagonist on an equal footing with all material presences, organic and inorganic. The quality of light, the time of year, the state of the weather and the condition of your mind, body and soul are all factors involved in this field.” The sculptures created by Gormley, each weighing 620 kg and almost two meters high, punctuate the green landscape of the residence’s park as far as the eye can see, offering a changing and engaging perspective, and pushing visitors to question the relationship between the human body and surrounding space, a theme that has always been at the center of the artistic reflections of the well-known sculptor.100 CAST IRON SCULPTURES IN THE PARK OF HOUGHTON HALL Gormley’s installation, which can be visited until 31 October, marks the seasonal reopening of Houghton Hall, the residence built by Robert Walpole, an excellent example of Palladian architecture and home to very important exhibitions in past years, such as those of Anish Kapoor and Damien Hirst. Set in such a high-level historical-artistic context, Time Horizon creates a dynamism between contemporary art and the architectural heritage of the place, strengthened by the parallel exhibition of the ceramic and glass works of the well-known English ceramist Magdalene Odundo. The British sculptor’s plein air installation therefore represents an immersive and reflective artistic experience, which underlines the importance of contemporary art in dialogue with history and the natural environment.[Immagine in apertura: © Pete Huggins]