A SCULPTURE by Angel of the North creator Antony Gormley is to be placed next to the Stratford Canal in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside.
The conservation charity The Landmark Trust is collaborating with the world-famous sculptor to celebrate their 50th anniversary next year.
The Land project will see five life-size standing iron sculptures installed at five Landmark Trust sites – personally selected by Mr Gormley – including the 200 year-old Lengthsman’s Cottage at Lowsonford near Henley.
The cottage was built in 1812 for the ‘lengthsman’ who maintained not just the lock but also the stretch of canal to the next lock. With its barrel-roof, it is a rare survivor of its type on the Stratford Canal.
The sculptures – which will also be placed at Martello Tower, Aldeburgh, Suffolk; Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset; Saddell Bay, Mull of Kintyre, Scotland; and Lundy Island, Bristol Channel – will be in place for a year from next May.
Turner Prize winner Mr Gormley explained: “The sculptures identify the place where a particular human body once stood and anyone could stand, and in that respect they are open spaces empty of content and waiting for your attention.
“The challenge is to make the verticality of each sculpture the focus, as a kind of rod or conductor for thoughts and feelings that might arise at a site.”
Anna Keay, Director of The Landmark Trust, said the charity was excited to be working with Mr Gormley.
She added: “He had the idea some years ago to join the British Isles together in one installation and we are thrilled that Landmark can make this idea a reality through our amazing sites.
“We hope that the whole nation will want to experience, enjoy, and of course, share their thoughts and responses on Land with us.”
The Landmark Trust was founded in 1965 to preserve architecturally interesting and historic buildings at risk, giving them a future by letting them for self-catering stays. The rental income pays for the buildings’ upkeep but the Trust relies on grants and voluntary sources of income to rescue further buildings.
Mr Gormley is best known for his iconic Angel of the North towering over the A1 at Gateshead, but his work can be seen around the world – the likes of Another Place at Crosby Beach near Liverpool to Inside Australia at Lake Ballard in Western Australia.
Visit www.landmarktrust.org.uk for further details.
Antony Gormley selected Lengthsman’s Cottage for the site of one of the life-size figures marking the 50th anniversary of The Landmark Trust. (s)
Historic Lengthsman’s Cottage at Lowsonford. (s)
