Antony Gormley, you just love putting big iron people made from casts of your own self in random places don't you. This, Another Place, is one of his most famous works, approved by Sefton Council and supported by a number of other arts programs. It occupies three kilometres of the foreshore on Crosby Beach and if you catch it when not many people are around, it looks strangely epic.
There's been a little controversy over the boys, namely because of their inclusion of a simplified penis which is really only about as aggressive as David Bowie's crotch-bulge in Labyrinth... okay, I take that pack. David Bowie's package in Labyrinth sexually confused me from a very young age. But really, it's nothing more than a mound, and all the Mary Whitehouses whinging should realise that the men in Another Place are supposed to be nekkid. They should have a sunbathe on one of the German beaches in South Fuerteventura, then they'd REALLY get a shock.
Almost shipped to New York in 2006 but lovingly rescued by a specially set up trust, here are 100 figures in total that offer a different feel at different times of the day. They're strikingly beautiful at sunset, quirky and mysterious by day. They also happen to weigh in at a whopping 650kg each. He ain't heavy. He's my lifesize Antony Gormley-based statue. All the fellows look out to sea, and the effect is somewhat poetic... gazing out onto the horizon, contemplating life, the universe and everything... something many of us find ourselves doing on a regular basis, and the way they are depicted in different stages of rising from the sand is rather uplifting.
I say see it if you get the chance. It won't actually take you long to cover the 3km without realising it and there are funny and poignant photo opportunities aplenty. It's an unusual piece of art, one that feels like it's almost living. Very impressive. read more