5. June 2009
The Eiffel Tower has excited Parisiens and visitors for 120 years. The Soho neighbourhood of New York (the Cast Iron District) boasts the greatest cast iron architecture in the world. Yet it is the island of Guernsey that has one of the most unusual displays of this base metal – the radical, controversial and exciting metal sculptures by Antony Gormley (best known for his imposing ‘Angel of the North’, finished in 1998 and located in Gateshead, in the North-East of England).
Originally on display from May - October 2008, the installation will now remain for all of 2009 at the very heart of the community in the ancient Castle Cornet harbour fortress in St Peter Port.
This is part of the International Artist in Residence Programme (IAIRP) established in 1996 so that students studying art and design at the Guernsey College of Further Education could work alongside professional artists of truly international standing. With the support of HSBC Private Bank, which has a global commitment to culture and education, the IAIRP invited the British artist Antony Gormley to create a piece for Castle Cornet.
Castle Cornet was in use as a military fortification from 1204 until the end of German occupation in 1945 and provided rich inspiration to Gormley. He created ’Lot’, an installation specifically devised for Castle Cornet. Strategically placed around the castle ramparts, he sited five giant emaciated cast iron figures. Reminiscent of the haunting sculptures of Alberto Giacometti, but on a larger scale, these figures are silhouetted against the sky, like sentinels on guard. Gormley said "I am excited about activating the low lying mass of the castle with these stick-like figures like whiskers against the sky".
‘Lot’ is grabbing the attention of locals, visitors, photographers and yachting enthusiasts and now these powerful cast iron revelations on stone are on view all year
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