Anthony Gormley - Another Place

Gormley's Another Place is currently situated on Crosby beach which is not far from my house. I get the chance to see them and observe them whenever. I have always been intrigued by these ghostly sculptures that are dotted all along the beach. When they were first placed along Crosby beach there was some confusion and panic as the onlookers watched the human figure get battered and consumed by the waves as the tide came in. However I have always been interested in the sculptures and over the years of them being along the beach I have learnt to love them more. I feel that the piece is quite a Dark piece, being that each sculpture is isolated alone all the time. The idea that the sea and the sand are trapping the sculpture and they cannot escape from their fate. The sculptures are looking out towards the sea, I often questioned, what are they looking for? Are they looking for freedom from the world they are trapped in at the moment? The sculptures are all looking out towards America, could this mean they are seeking freedom and looking for another life elsewhere.

For me this is a very emotive piece of work by Gormley. The piece evokes human emotion and human presence. As I have said it is a very Dark piece, the sculptures are alone and vulnerable to the elements and also other human beings. Depending on where each sculpture is placed along the sea front determines how much they actually go under water. When the tide is out the sculptures that are further out are laced with barnacles and seaweed that have latched on to the sculpture over the years. This shows the piece aging and deteriorating just the same as humans do if we are consumed by something that traps us.